In black and white

Presents paper as the mainstay of civilisation and as an instrument of immortality for the works of great men. Follows the development of paper-making from the production of single sheets by hand and then (early 19th century) by machine from rag-pulp. Perfected by an Englishman on the basis of a French invention, and fed by wood-pulp as suggested by the French scientist Reaumur a century before, this machine grew into the giant production lines seen at the close of the film.