The History of the Book and the Skara Missal

The Skara Missal

The Skara Missal is Sweden’s oldest preserved book, a medieval mass book handwritten in Latin, bound in two parts, and beautifully illuminated (colored). Of the original approximately 300 parchment leaves, only 44 pages remain today. The mass book was originally bound in a single volume but was divided into two parts during the 13th or 14th century. It is bound in wooden covers wrapped in leather. The wooden covers have been dated and come from trees that grew in Västergötland during the second half of the 13th century.

In 2006, a popular facsimile edition of the Skara Missal was published and is available for purchase at the Old Library.

The History of the Book

As early as 3200 BC, the first known form of writing—Cuneiform—was created. In Mesopotamia, located in present-day Syria and Iraq, people began carving images into soft clay tablets. Over time, these pictograms evolved into written symbols.

Eventually, people realized the need for a lighter writing material than clay. Egypt became a leader in the production of papyrus. Sheets made from the papyrus plant were long and stored as scrolls. The longest preserved scroll is an impressive 40 meters long. The first books were handwritten and incredibly expensive, only found in the libraries of learned men.

For as long as humans have existed, stories have been told. Before writing was invented, stories were passed down through songs and oral storytelling around the fire. People often gathered to share stories and exchange information. In ancient times, traveling storytellers known as rhapsodes would recite stories and poems to audiences. To help remember the stories, they were performed in verse, much like songs. The term rap in today’s music originates from the word rhapsode, connecting modern rhythmic storytelling to ancient traditions.

Before humans developed symbols or written words, they used images—petroglyphs—to tell stories. These carvings can still be seen in many places across Sweden. Despite their name, petroglyphs weren’t scratched into stone but were carefully pecked and carved. The oldest known petroglyph was discovered in Africa and dates back to before 20,000 BC. In the Nordic region, Stone Age hunters left petroglyphs dating back to 7000 BC. The largest petroglyph in Västergötland dates back to the Bronze Age and can be seen at Flyhov Petroglyph Area, near Husaby Church.

Communicating through images has endured and continues today in picture books, art, and especially through modern digital technology, where we use emojis to enhance our written communication.

Early Book Production

To make reading and searching through texts in long scrolls easier, the book format we know today was invented in the 5th century. This format is called a codex, meaning "wooden block." The most important writings, such as the Skara Missal, were bound into books. Before paper production became widespread, most texts were written on parchment made from animal skins.

The Art of Printing

As early as around the year 700, books were printed in Asia using wooden blocks with carved characters. A printing technique with movable characters and letters, known as types, was later developed. In the 15th century, the modern printing press was invented, most often credited to Johann Gutenberg, although others were experimenting with similar techniques at the same time. This invention revolutionized the spread of information.

By today's standards, early printing methods were highly inefficient, and producing a book was a slow process. However, book production gradually increased on a massive scale over the following centuries, leading to the widespread distribution of information like never before. Most printed texts during this period were in Latin.

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