Evolution of the Medieval Book

Introduction

When the Roman Empire disintegrated, it was the centrality of the sacred word, fostered by the Christian Church, that preserved the culture of writing in the West. Most of the books produced during the Middle Ages were copies of religious texts, laboriously written out by scribes in monasteries and often embellished with gold and intricate artwork. But the Christian concern with writing also served to preserve the profane texts of classical antiquity.