laminated paper sheets; paste-boards; paper pulp boards

Ingredients

waste paper, discarded fragments, paper pulp, wheat starch, rice starch, asphodel plant root

Preparation Steps

Original Recipe Text

Board covers are predominantly made of laminated paper sheets, or paste-boards, consisting of two or more sheets (p. 63). These were frequently constructed using waste paper and discarded fragments (p. 63). Some cores consist of paper pulp boards (p. 63). The average board thickness identified in the survey is approximately 2.4 millimetres (p. 63). Vegetable adhesives were used to adhere these layers, including starch made from wheat, rice, or the dried and ground root of the asphodel plant (p. 45).

Evidence

"Without a doubt board covers are predominantly made of laminated paper sheets. These paste-boards consist of two or more sheets, and because of the frequently damaged covering material on the board edges we can see that often waste paper and discarded fragments were used for the purpose. Other cores consist of paper pulp boards. (p. 63)"

Remarks

The survey of Islamic manuscripts in the UBL collection indicates that while most boards are paper-based, they range from semi-flexible to rigid (p. 63). In some cases, a thick piece of leather was found below the leather coverings instead of paper (p. 63). The use of waste paper provides a window into recycled materials used by binders (p. 63).