Paper arrived in Europe centuries before it displaced parchment for books

Evidence

By the thirteenth century, the first paper-mills were established in Italy and Spain, and later in France, Germany and the Low Countries. It was immediately clear that paper would provide a far cheaper and more abundant writing material; it was nevertheless less durable than parchment, and in both the Arab world and medieval Europe, used initially for note taking and administration rather than bookmaking. The impact of paper on book production would only become apparent in the fifteenth century. — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 163

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels how disruptive technologies often sit dormant before a use case makes them transformative — cf. the e-book’s slow takeoff. — connects to: Paper manufacturing was cheaper than parchment but initially used only for minor documents — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 163; Paper was initially used for administration before bookmaking — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 163
• corroborated: 2 independent passages support this claim — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 163

Broader Connections

• Paper was initially used for administration before bookmaking #expands (0.85) — Andrew Pettegree, Arthur der Weduwen, The Library- A Fragile History, 163