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[Xeirxes]

It'd be cool if you could make a library room, with bookshelves and stuff. Paper would be created out of some kind of parchment or animal hide or fabric, ink would of course be dye, and the book bindings could be leather. A book could be made by a historian noble who could record events in the fortress. I'm not sure what the use of this would be, but I do think it'd be rather cool.

[Capntastic]

I believe I suggested this to Toady before, in the IRC probably.

My idea was that there'd be libraries in some towns, where you would have to go to read up on legends and such.   Furthermore, you could go there to record findings, as well as maps.

THere could be little quests like "I need you to deliver this parchment to this town!" or "Go investigate this cave!  It is said an adventurer died there last month!"

It would be neat stuff.

[Markavian]

Would Dwarves who wrote/duplicated books gain additional skill points as scribes? Books could become a new comodity in the fortress, like other crafts, but... readable?

[Capntastic]

I can imagine individual books being like high scores lists.

Books could have titles like "Artifacts of <Fort>", or "The World's Greatest Swordsmen" with yearly editions.

[Solara]

"This is a masterfully written book about dwarves. The dwarves are travelling."

"This is a superbly written book about a dwarf and a goblin. The goblin is striking down the dwarf."

Neat idea.   It would mean a new item of furniture, the bookshelf, for dwarves to collect their books in, and of course certain nobles would demand one.

[Eiba]

I like this idea.

It might also be neat if nobles or librarians somehow demand that you import certain books (classics?). It stands to reason that most books in the world would not be produced at your fortress... Though you'd still have to transcribe (translate?) them for your nobles and libraries...

It'd give the Elves more to trade than cloth and strawberries too... (Provided they found something to write on that they don't find offensive...)

[4bh0r53n]

quote: (Provided they found something to write on that they don't find offensive...)

how about flayed dwarf skin?

[Bagpuss]

I had this idea a while ago. It would be cool to see the history of your fort written into a book. You could use the alchemist lab to make paper out of pig tails.

An artifact book could spawn copies all around the world as it became popular.

[UncleTumble]

This idea definitely has some possibilities. Of course, in keeping with the "realistic" theme of craft-making in the game (like steel production), books would have to be made with Middle Ages-level technology.

Just checking Wikipedia, apparently most written material in the Middle Ages was made on vellum, or calfskin parchment, although other animal skins like sheep were commonly used as well (plenty of the animals already in the game would probably do.) The skin must be soaked in a solution of lime (the mineral, not the fruit) and then dried.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vellum

You'd also need ink and a quill of some kind.  According to the Wiki article on illuminated manuscripts, ink came from a variety of metallic sources, including silver and gold. Minerals were used for other colors (lead for white, malachite for green). In addition, plants were used as well for some colors -- maybe some of the gatherable herbs as well as the non-cave plants available by trade could be used (what color are fisher berries, anyway?)

As for quills, feathers and reeds were used, maybe a rope-red quill would suffice.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Illuminated_manuscript

Just brain storming, I really like this idea
 :cool:

[Chthon]

This could also be a way for elder dwarves to pass on their knowledge to children.  Perhaps librarians could "corral" little ones and educate them from time to time.  
If no librarians are around though the libraries could fall into disrepair, and dwarves looking for something to entertain themselves would get unhappy thoughts instead of happy thoughts for the reading time.

[Citizen of Erl]

I do like the idea of libraries as a quest source.

[Scribble]

Libaries would be a great addition, though it might be quite dwarfish to make important books out of metal.

I also love the idea of the libary educating children. Allowing them to move up to novice say in particular skills.

[Toady One]

Having books relating to the legends and so on has been on the table since Armok I, and it's definitely going in over time.  The legends screen is the infant version of this.  I remember hitting that vellum page a while ago -- I also wanted to do leather tawing.  The books bound with white tawed leather seemed creepy to me.  I don't know if tawing is similar to making vellum (soaking inlime?), since tawing makes use of alum.  Alum seems useful in various ways too (as a mordant for example).

[Lord Blue]

quote:Originally posted by Scribble:
<STRONG>Libaries would be a great addition, though it might be quite dwarfish to make important books out of metal.</STRONG>

Well, a book made of paper (log + paper mill + scribedwarf) or leather (leather + scribedwarf) would be called 'books', with metal (metal bar + scribedwarf) and wood (log + scribedwarf) would be called 'tablets'.

Quills could be left out of the equation, presumed to be included in the scribe's workshop, but inks could use an interface similar to the gem chooser in the Jeweler's Shop. As for making inks from metal, maybe that could be a Dyer job?

[Momaw]

Don't forget papyrus, too. We've got two different plants which can be made into cloth, which I don't think would be too far-fetched to harvest, pound, press, and make into paper.