Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Learn About The Past With Historical Non Fiction Books

By Alexandra Anderson


Sales of historical non fiction books continue to rise, as more people become interested in finding out about the past. Whether it's in connection with a particular time or place, or just how the world has evolved, it's always captivating. However, with the introduction of the the e-book, the choice of titles becomes even more accessible.

Studying what has happened in the past, provides a snapshot of how someone lived at that time. It's possible to learn about catastrophes which may have befallen people during that period, as well as how new advances and innovations were achieved. Nowadays, a large amount of information can be obtained online, in a matter of seconds.

Such easy access to information has not always been available. Originally, all books were completed by hand using parchment or vellum. This took a great deal of time and effort, often involving more than one person. The pages were frequently adorned with pictures, which were used as a way of explaining what had been written. This was needed, as relatively few people were actually able to read.

As there were very few of these early volumes, they consequently commended a high price. Only a very small section of society would ever of had the opportunity to own one, and many people would never even have had access to a copy of one. However, these were the first history books, recording what was happening at that time.

This continued until the sixteenth century, when the printing press was invented. This at last gave a major section of the population, the chance to find out about the world that they lived in. The ability to be able to read and write, gave many individuals, the opportunity to make a better life for themselves and their families. Books then, as now, provided knowledge, and that in turn brought about more favourable circumstances.

Libraries attached to universities, had for a long time, housed many fine volumes. However, access to these large and impressive collections was limited to the students and professors of the colleges. In the nineteenth century, many different governments started to introduce the concept of a public library. This allowed a great selection of publications to become available to the general public, covering a wide range of subjects. Although both fiction and non fiction titles were supplied, it was often the non fiction titles which had the most readers.

A lot of people enjoy collecting books connected to their own particular interest, accumulating a large number of volumes during their lifetime. Private collections across the world hold some very rare and expensive early editions. A very early case of this need to gather information, can be found in the Royal Library of Alexandria, situated in ancient Egypt. It is understood that it housed over 400,000 volumes, before later being destroyed.

People across the world want to find out more about their own culture and its history. Sales of this type of material continues to increase, as more research is carried out in this area of writing, and subsequently published. If you are searching for titles of historical non fiction books, details of companies who stock this genre can be found online.




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