The Silicon Amanuensis: Beyond Clay Tablets
Steve Beisner -- May 9, 2007
Wandering again from the path of modern high tech to the less traveled byways of earlier writing technology, we look at paper and especially at the classic, ruled and bound "legal pad." Writers reach for this dependable companion without a thought of its history, and nothing is better when we need to set down that poem or short story idea before the muse rushes out the door, leaving us empty headed.
It's safe to say that no novel would have ever been written if the author was required to scratch or paint its text on the rock walls of his cave. Nor is it likely that Huckleberry Finn would have ever made it onto damp clay tablets inscribed with a sharp metal instrument and left to harden in the sun. Writing and revising on expensive and difficult to produce papyrus would also be a discouraging prospect.
It was the invention of paper that enabled writing on a large scale and (with the printing press) encouraged widespread literacy and allowed explosive growth in the creation of literature.
Although it is at least theoretically possible for an author's work to not see paper until the piece is published (if then!), paper is still the standard that newer technologies like word processor screens and "E-books" seek to imitate. Also many authors prefer paper and pen (or pencil) for at least some stages of their creative work.
Like so many of the trappings of civilization, paper was invented by the Chinese. Although there were probably earlier antecedents, the first recorded (on what?) accounts describe the invention about 2000 years ago by a government official named Ts'ai Lun.
Ts'ai Lun is said to have used hemp, rags, and bark in his paper. An amazing variety of fibrous materials have been used in paper production over the years. Recently papermaking by hand has undergone a resurgence as a craft or art. A number of sites on the web offer instruction on papermaking. If you're interested, look at this site at UCSD.
Legal Pads
The legal pad, with it's distinctive horizontal and vertical rulings, the robust binding, perforated tear-off sheets, and typical yellow color is a constant companion of many writers, even ones who depend on computers for most of their work. Its true origins are debatable, but one story credits Thomas W. Holley, said to be the founder of the American Paper Company, with the invention.
According to the folklore, Mr. Holley made the pads from the leftover scraps acquired for little or no money from paper mills. He could then sell the finished pads much cheaper than the stationery otherwise available.
Why yellow? One explanation says the the yellow paper was cheaper. Perhaps, but today, colored paper is actually slightly more expensive. Another theory is that it's easier on the eyes, but experts say the easiest is whatever is highest contrast, presumably black ink on white paper. A third story is that the yellow color "stimulates the intellect," a claim for which no evidence is offered.
Nowadays, a little digging will turn up these pads in not only yellow and white, but in blue, and even pink. I can imagine some fastidious writer with manuscript copies color-coded by revision level.
In any case, my own experience suggests that nothing is better for getting the words flowing than a comfortable chair, my favorite pen, a legal pad, and perhaps a glass of wine.