Paper

Paper is an essential part of any physical book. Papermaking did not spread to Europe until the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. The fine paper used to make books was originally made from bleached linen rags. In the early 1800s, papermaking machines were invented. In the 1850s, it was common for paper to be made from wood pulp, though paper was still being made from rags. 

As I do not possess a physical copy of the first edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, I had to guess at what kind of paper was used to make the book. In the pictures I have of a first edition copy, the pages appear to be fairly yellowed. This is characteristic of a wood pulp paper. Wood pulp papers have a high lignin content, which contributes to high acidity, which causes yellowing of the paper and deterioration.

For the two physical copies I have, I looked at the copyright pages to see if they would yield any information about the type of paper used in the book. I had no luck with the Garcia-illustrated book, but the Penguin Classics edition had a note that it was made from Forest Stewardship Council certified paper.

The paper in my Penguin Classics edition is very smooth and off-white. It does not have the same kind of rough texture that seems standard for paper used in five-dollar paperback books. That cheap kind of paper reminds me of the manila paper my high school art teachers made us use for rough sketches. I am guessing that the paper used for this book is a higher quality paper. I think that the fact that the paper is not bright white adds character to the paper, and makes the book seem older than it really is. 

The paper used in my Camille Rose Garcia-illustrated has a bit of texture to it, but it is glossy. It proved difficult to photograph, as it kept reflecting light. You can also see the letters on the page shining if you hold the book at an angle. I learned in class that glossy paper creates brighter colors. I think the glossy paper was used to really highlight Garcia’s illustrations. Even though the illustrations have a dark quality to them, all the colors are extremely vivid.