Beautiful books

Many of the earliest printed books mimicked the finest medieval manuscripts with gothic script and illuminated pages. By the 1500s, scripts which used space more economically had been developed. These italic scripts were also very beautiful.

Libraries and books have often been used to symbolise the learning of an individual or institution. Beautiful bindings, often intricately decorated could be used to indicate ownership and underline the importance of the text.

In the 19th century, William Morris and others revived the craft of fine printing and produced books of astonishing aesthetic quality. Today, many artists use the book as a creative medium, expressing themselves both through bindings and through the layout of the page.