History & CultureHow it works
How old shirts turned into books.
European paper was made from linen and hemp rags until the 19th century. At Fabriano a waterwheel drove three wooden hammers per trough, pounding the scraps into pulp. Sheets were scooped from it, sized with animal glue and stamped with watermarks. Only wood pulp, from 1843, ended the perpetual rag shortage.
Useful: Before mass production there was almost always a recycling loop – paper is the classic case.
Source: en.wikipedia.org