Dissolution-era library books were used as toilet paper, kindling, and ballast

Evidence

A great number of those who purchased those superstitious mansions [monastic properties], reserved of those library books, some to serve their jakes [lavatories], some to scour their candlesticks, and some to rub their boots. Some they sold to the grocers and soap-sellers, and some they sent overseas to the bookbinders, not in small number, but at times whole ships full, to the wonderment of foreign nations. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 248

Categorization

• SEED: Article angle: the historical moment when books lost almost all economic value, compared to today’s information overload and devalued physical media.
• XREF: Connects to how disruptive technologies cause sudden revaluation of media formats, paralleling print’s effect on manuscripts. — connects to: Early printed books were sold as binder’s waste until the 1700s. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 497; Medieval stationers broke textbooks into rentable quires to speed copying — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 129
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 248

Broader Connections

• Early printed books were sold as binder’s waste until the 1700s. #exemplifies (0.75) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 497
• Medieval stationers broke textbooks into rentable quires to speed copying #exemplifies (0.65) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 129