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Ever since people learned to write, they quickly began to use everything that was available for this. Instead of the usual paper, tree bark, metal plates, animal skin, and many other materials were used. However, the main carriers of texts before the advent of books were tablets, scrolls and manuscripts (codices).
Tablets, especially clay ones, stood out especially - they can be considered the oldest "great-grandmothers" of books. People quickly realized that clay is excellent for writing, and if you also burn the finished tablet, the text will be preserved for centuries. It is thanks to thousands of such burned clay tablets that we know so much about the ancient civilizations of Sumer and Assyria today.
Scrolls made of papyrus became popular thanks to the Egyptians and Phoenicians. They were compact, convenient and relatively inexpensive, since the papyrus itself cost little, and most of the work was done by slaves - here everything is clear without explanation.
Over time, scrolls gave way to codes - parchment sheets sewn together. Initially, they were used mainly by lawyers, as this form made it easier to find the necessary fragments and allowed for bookmarking. Codices finally became established with the spread of Christianity: Christians found their structure convenient, and the symbolic aspect was also important - after all, pagan texts were traditionally written on scrolls. Later, with the advent of printing, books gradually took on the form we are used to today.
Antique books as a gift
Among rare publications, several of the most common categories can be distinguished:
• handwritten books, created mainly by Old Believers, as they rarely had access to printing houses due to their status as exiles;
• printed church books;
• printed secular editions, which are especially valued by collectors, in particular those containing illustrations;
• foreign editions.
On our site you can most often find secular old books, although rare Bibles and other Christian editions are also presented.
Why do old books remain a good way to invest? First of all, because a rare edition is still a book that is interesting to read and discover new knowledge for yourself. In addition, books were once a luxury item, which was reflected in everything: from the decoration of the cover to the exquisite illustrations, which were often real works of art.
Another important factor in their value is their historical significance. It only grows over the years. For example, our collection contains the first Russian-language edition of the famous "The Prince" by Machiavelli from 1869; the 1895 edition of "A Study of the Wealth of Nations" by Adam Smith, whose ideas at one time changed the view on economics; as well as the cult "A Gift to Young Housewives" by Elena Molokhovets, which was once in every home - and many other equally famous works.
All books on our website are checked and certified by specialists, which guarantees their authenticity. Each rare edition presented in our store has over a century of history, so owning such a book is a real touch to our common past.
