That genius' name is apparently lost in the mists of time (by the way, it's bookshelves.):
"In medieval times, books were chained to desks in monasteries and when it became possible a little later to privately owned books, they were mostly placed horizontally on desks, windowsills, beds, chairs and all over the floor. It was only with the proliferation of bibliophiles who often had to step over books to reach their beds, and who were at a loss to contain their books, that bookshelves become a necessity, an invention. It is astonishing to learn that for the longest time books were not placed vertically on shelves, and that the spine faced inward! The spine didn't contain the title or the author, and so it didn't matter if you shelved it spine in and fore-edge out. From the most simply designed bookshelf to contemporary bookcases in bookstores (where the shelves are slanted and the bottom shelves flare out so that a browser can look at the titles standing up) bookshelves are a marvel of structure and engineering. Books live there, they sleep there, they hang out with each other there, and make their journeys (with us) back and forth from there. When I look at a book now, I also see a bookshelf."
"History of the bookcase
When books were written by hand and were not produced in great quantities, they were kept in small containers which owners (usually the wealthy or clergy) carried with them. As manuscript volumes accumulated in religious houses or in homes of the wealthy, they were stored on shelves or in cupboards. These cupboards are the direct predecessors of today's bookcases. Later the doors were discarded, and the evolution of the bookcase proceeded. Even then, however, the volumes were not arranged in the modern fashion. They were either placed in piles upon their sides, or if upright, were ranged with their backs to the wall and their edges outwards. The band of leather, vellum or parchment which closed the book was often used for the inscription of the title, which was thus on the fore-edge instead of on the spine.
It was not until the invention of printing had greatly reduced the cost of books, thus allowing many more people direct access to owning books, that it became the practice to write the title on the spine and shelve books with the spine outwards. Early bookcases were usually of oak, which is still deemed by some to be the most appropriate wood for an elegant library.
[edit]Oldest bookcases
The oldest bookcases in England are those in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, which were placed in position in the last year or two of the sixteenth century; in that library are the earliest extant examples of shelved galleries over the flat wall-cases. Long ranges of book-shelves are somewhat severe in appearance, and many attempts have been made by means of carved cornices and pilasters to give them a less austere appearance. These attempts were most successful as in the hands of the English cabinetmakers of the second half of the eighteenth century.
[edit]Designers and manufacturers
Both Chippendale and Sheraton made or designed many bookcases, mostly glazed with little lozenges encased in fretwork frames, often of great charm and elegance. In the eyes of some, the grace of some of Sheraton's satinwood bookcases has rarely been equalled. The French cabinetmakers of the same period were also highly successful with small ornamental cases. Mahogany, rosewood satinwood and even choicer exotic timbers were used; they were often inlaid with marquetry and mounted with chased and gilded bronze. Dwarf bookcases were frequently finished with a slab of choice marble at the top."
2007-05-26 16:22:09
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answer #1
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answered by johnslat 7
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while reading a book, you're stimulating the human brain. You increase your literacy and reading skills and you also along the way, are more literate. Despite having today's modern tools, you still need to be able to read.
While you're watching t.v. can be good fun, it isn't doing anything to the human brain.
2017-02-03 01:12:12
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answer #3
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answered by verna 4
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