I absolutely adore Illuminated Manuscripts...and found these amazing facts whilst reading about them. 'Although paper was available in southern Europe from the twelfth century, its use did not become widespread until the late Middle Ages - there was no paper mill in England until the fifteenth century. Before this the usual support for writing was parchment (also known as vellum), made from stretched, treated animal skins. A large manuscript might require one whole cow- or sheep-skin to make a folded sheet of two to four pages, and a thick book could require the hides of entire herds. Medieval books were therefore expensive items.'

via Suzy Sharpe Artist http://ift.tt/1e6HSjQ