Jessica Gössl

Much of the population was illiterate, and only the rich could afford an extensive book collection.

Some of the books that have survived from the Middle Ages are true works of art.

The Book of Kells, for instance, is a beautiful, richly illustrated manuscript.

It's believed to have been produced in a Scottish or Irish monastery in the ninth century.

Written in Latin, it contains the four gospels of the New Testament.

The text is written on vellum pages in colored ink and accompanied by the most exquisite artwork.

The Book of Kells was most likely created for sacramental purposes.

It wasn't designed to be passed around.

But other religious manuscripts were diffused more widely.

And with more copies of the Bible in circulation, it was easier for Christianity to spread across Europe.

Books helped beliefs to travel.

And in some cases, the book itself became a symbol of religious authority.

Books like the Bible were seen as tangible representations of God's word.

As we mentioned earlier, paper seems to have made its first appearance in Europe around the 11th century.

By this point, it had already been in use in China for hundreds of years.

It's likely that there were far more books being produced in China than anywhere else in the world.

But by the 8th century, paper had reached the Middle East, where it quickly became widespread, mostly replacing parchment.

And by the late 11th century or early 12th, paper was being produced in Spain.

At the time, the Iberian Peninsula was under Muslim rule.

Most likely, it was trade links with other Muslim nations that led to paper being introduced to Spain and then other parts of Europe.