The invention of paper, the heir of papyrus and vellum, took a few forms to contain writing. Scrolls were a widely used form, though usually only one side was utilized, and they had large sticks used to roll the scroll up. The scroll's use fell out of favor when a much easier and economical form came into being: the codex.
The Codex, or a book as it is more well know, was easier to carry around, and utilized both sides of the paper. It was a laborious process to make a book by hand, but with the invention of the Gutenberg printing press, books were able to be produced more quickly and became more widely available.
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Jacobs, A. (2011). Christianity and the future of the book. New Atlantis: A Journal
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The thing that amuses me about the invention of paper, and similiarly papyrus, vellum, as well as computers is, the further we go to facilitate recording our thoughts and history for the future, the less likely it will survive to see it. It is far more likely that, should all humans disappear, the writings Romans etched into walls will outlast the few scrolls of philosophy we have left from them. Digital records will be the first to go, followed quickly by organic mediums. In this context, is the invention of paper that much of an improvement?
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