Grolier 11

Grolier 11

The Book of Esther.

Hebrew manuscript scroll on vellum; 17th or 18th century

This is a quite recent example of an ancient form of book. Hebrew manuscripts of The Book of Esther are still traditionally made into scrolls, which are read by unrolling the text from the spindle held in the left hand, the finished portion being progressively rolled up in the right. Earlier scrolls had the text written across the strip. The division of the text into horizontal page sections, as here shown, was an important step in the evolution of the leaf form of book that we know today.

17th or 18th century

20th century

Hebrew

Manuscript Scroll

Manuscript Scroll