How were the early books produced?
In India, the earliest concept of the book was as an amalgam of leaves of bark that were strung together between covers by a cord. Since, it was difficult to write directly on to the leaves of the Palmyra, the process of inscribing became the only one used method that prevailed in the southern part of India. Later on, Indians turned naturally to metal and stone whenever they wanted to record a text. The long-lasting stones were widely utilised for inscriptions from the 3rd century BC. It was occasionally utilised by a royal author to give away his martial as well as literary talents. Some examples of these survived from the 4th century. These records were copied on cloth, birch bark or palm leaf, before being handed over to the copper smith (ayaskara) for engraving. The originals were apparently kept in the royal chancellery and the plates were given to the recipient. The smiths copied not only the letters but also the shapes of the original. The text was incised parallel to the long side. Usually many sheets were required to complete the text, and these were usually in pothi (book) format.
