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From: buzzard@TheWorld.com (Sean T Barrett)
Subject: Re: Paper samples
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Date: Fri, 23 Aug 2002 00:11:20 GMT
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In article <ak1doo$85u$1@news.fsf.net>, Adam Thornton <adam@fsf.net> wrote:
>John W. Kennedy <jwkenne@attglobal.net> wrote:
>>and all the 1728 copies were in pretty good shape, but the 1767 copies
>>were disintegrating.
>>than some 15th-century printed books I've handled.)
>
>I have no idea.  Where is there a good site on the history of
>papermaking?

"history of papermaking" on Google turns up a bunch of things.
A site on history of american papermaking was the best I found
since that forced the time scale to be right:

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/book_arts/11620

Something you already know:

  The handmade paper used in the 17th and 18th centuries can be
  distinguished from paper that was made later by holding the paper
  up to a light and looking for "chain-lines" which are left from
  the wires in the paper mold.

Something they claim but who knows how accurate this is:

  Although making paper by hand can be a long process, it does have
  many advantages. Early books made of 100% rag paper were long
  lasting (several still exist today) because of the low acid content
  in their paper. The strength of handmade paper is also better because
  of the long length of fabric fibers as opposed to wood fibers, and
  the fact that machine-made paper causes more fibers to place
  themselves in the same direction, which makes machine-made paper
  easier to tear.

SeanB
