Quote:
Originally Posted by ZodWallop
Scrolls didn't require all that pesky page turning. Why did we move on from scrolls?
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Because a scroll is a "serial access" medium - in order to read a page near the end of the scroll, you have to scroll through the whole thing to get there. The "random access" nature of the codex (book) format was the main reason it replaced scrolls.
Once you've finished reading it, you also have to rewind it before someone else can read it. Several Roman authors lamented the rudeness of readers who neglected to rewind their scrolls for the next reader.