On Paper Book Summary - On Paper Book explained in key points

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On Paper summary

Name: On Paper
Rating: 4.4 (18 reviews)
Author: Nicholas A. Basbanes

Nicholas A. Basbanes

The Everything of its Two-Thousand-Year History

4.4 (18 ratings)

18 mins

Brief summary

On Paper is a celebration of all things paper - its history, production, and enduring impact on civilization. Nicholas A. Basbanes' book is an ode to this simple yet powerful material that has shaped the world we live in.

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On Paper
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Learn why paper is here to stay.

Some people say we live in a paperless society or that we’re on the verge of one. It’s certainly true that a lot of the things we used paper for in the past can now be done without it. Just look at emails.

But, as you’ll see in these blinks, paper is no dinosaur on its way to extinction. Its long history and many uses show the unique qualities of paper and why it’s here to stay.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

that paper can be deadly;
the life expectancy of a one dollar bill; and
the origin of the art of origami.

Paper, a dried composite of water and cellulose, was developed in China.

We rarely pause to remember that paper once revolutionized the world. But where does paper come from?

Most historians consider paper to have been developed in China in AD 105 by Cai Lun, a man who created tools and weapons for the royal court of Emperor Ho Ti. There is some dispute, however. Historian Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin argues that fragments found in 1957 in an ancient Chinese tomb are the oldest known pieces of paper – they date back to 140 BC. These specimens, along with others found in different locations in the region, suggest that paper changed over time.

So what exactly is paper? Paper is made from a mixture of water and bits of pulverized cellulose that are sieved and dried. The cellulose can be made from tree bark, old fishing nets, cloth, hemp from rope, cooked straw, boiled banana peels, crushed walnut shells or a number of other materials. In short, paper is made using a screen mold by combining water with any material containing cellulose fiber.

The process whereby cellulose fibers attach to each other through molecular cohesion is called hydrogen bonding. This bonding is what makes paper different from papyrus, though the word “paper” comes from papyrus.

Papyrus is made from dried pieces of stalk from the papyrus plant, a marsh reed. These bits of stalk can be attached to one another because of chemicals released by the plant.

Paper arrived in China at just the right time. Alternatives to paper, like silk and stone, were inconvenient because they were either too expensive or too cumbersome.

The Japanese developed new uses for paper in a number of fields, including architecture and warfare.

Paper traveled out of China with Buddhist monks going two directions: west through Central Asia along the Silk Road, or east to Korea, and then on to Japan.

In Japan, paper took on a new life once it became established in the seventeenth century. Though originally a luxury item only available to the nobility or military samurai elite, by the nineteenth century, paper had become more widespread in Japan than anywhere else in the world.

Paper spread from the Muslim world to Europe, then from Europe to the Americas and Australia.

Paper evolved further after the Arab world inherited the process from the Chinese about a century after the death of the prophet Muhammad. It was initially only used to record the word of God in the Koran, but people soon found other uses for it.

Muslim empires brought paper to present-day Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Spain and North Africa, establishing it as a key component of Muslim life. From Spain, it then spread to the rest of Europe, North America and Australia.

Paper is still used as currency because it is versatile, resilient, and deters counterfeiting.

Societies developed paper currencies as paper manufacturing became more widespread and people started to realize its many uses.

US firm Crane and Company, for example, produced paper money for the Treasury Department (exclusively, as a matter of fact, since 1879), a line of 100 percent cotton stationery for the British royal family and brands like Tiffany and Cartier.

Americans began using wood in papermaking due to increased demand for paper.

Americans initially preferred the European rag-based method for all paper-making, but a shortage of material coincided with an explosion of uses for paper. There was such desperate need for rags that entrepreneurs imported linen wrappings from mummies exhumed in Egypt!

The demand for paper grew still more at the end of the seventeenth century. During the Revolutionary War and subsequent Civil War, paper was even used to make cartridges for rifles. Furthermore, hundreds of newspapers began to be published. On 2 July 1863, the Vicksburg Daily Citizen was even printed on the blank side of a piece of wallpaper!

Paper is vital for personal hygiene.

Some people speculate that paper will die out, but that’s because they haven’t considered how important it is in personal hygiene.

Nobody questions the utility of toilet paper – arguably the most indispensable use of paper in the modern world.

Paper is unlikely to die out, largely because of bureaucracy and cigarettes.

Electronic documents become more pervasive every day but hard copies are still an important part of our bureaucracy. We still prefer them for important documents like birth certificates and deeds.

In many cases, paper is still more reliable than electronic storage, especially as the threat of security breaches increases as we store more and more information online. Even emails are printed and archived in the United States National Archives, to ensure they’ll always be available.

Paper’s value can increase over time and it can be used to produce other work.

Even if it’s often disposable, paper is far from worthless. Even newsprint, scrap paper and highly classified documents can be repurposed into recycled material like cardboard packaging.

Some paper products become valuable collectibles over time, like historical archival documents or stamps. One rare stamp that was printed in Mauritius in 1847 sold for four million dollars in 1993.

Paper isn’t only important because of its utility – it’s beautiful, versatile, and always being reinvented.

People tend to assume that paper is just a medium: a tool that allows you to do something else. In some cases, however, paper is something special on its own. Intricately crafted books, origami and paper decorations like kites, lamps, fans, pop-up books and even religious ornaments illustrate how versatile paper can be.

Origami is the prime example of this. Origami is the art of creating intricate figures made of a single piece of paper that’s not cut, taped or glued.

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What is On Paper about?

Paper: we use it so much we don’t realize how fundamental it is to our society. We don’t just record our thoughts on it, we base our currency on it, use it for entertainment and employ it for hygiene. These blinks of On Paper (2013) outline the history of this simple but amazing tool.

Best quote from On Paper

By the production of a cheap writing material, and its supply to markets both east and west, the Arabs made learning accessible to all.– Alfred von Kremer

—Nicholas A. Basbanes

Who should read On Paper?

Students of history, sociology or politics
Anyone who has ever used toilet paper
Origami fans

About the Author

Nicholas Basbanes is a former literary editor of the Worcester Sunday Telegram. He’s written several books, including A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books, and his work has been featured in the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

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