Answer:
The concept of a temporary document written on some sort of plant material, as opposed to the more permanent stone or clay, is widespread. They were known as biblos in Greek (from reeds), liber in Latin (from bark) and book in North Europe ( from a species of tree, the beech). Later these materials were replaced by paper (wood pulp) and parchment (animal skins), which whitened allowed the use of ink. The latter were preferred for legal documents as they lasted better, eg Domesday Book (1086, England). They consisted of any number of sheets. If stitched together along the margin they are called 'codex' and if at the top, scrolls or rolls. The preparation of the pens and inks called for great skill and the process of writing letter by letter was painfully slow. They can be referred to as books made by the manuscript method, or simply manuscripts.