A Short History of the World, by H.G. Wells, Part 6
Boring Books for Bedtime Readings to Help You Sleep
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The Darkness of the Ancient World
The only book materials were parchment, and strips of the papyrus reed. Without abundant paper there was little advantage in printing books. Alexandria produced abundant books, but not cheap books. It never spread knowledge below the level of a wealthy and influential class. So it was that displays of intellectual enterprise never reached beyond a small circle of people in touch with the group of philosophers collected by the first two Ptolemies.
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