| abstract | - A book was a written work. In some cultures and times, books took the form of an actual physical means of data collection and preservation composed of sheets that were bound together with a protective cover. The sheets of a book, the individual sides of which were referred to as pages, could contain printed, written or illustrated information. In some cases, all of the pages within a book were intentionally left blank so that its owner could record his or her own information within it for professional or private reasons. With the advent of more advanced means of collecting and preserving data, these physical books eventually became obsolete. Such works took up more space, were less portable and less accessible than electronic media. Instead, the term book referred to the same sort of work, only stored in an electronic medium like a datapad or flimsiplast; such works were also known as holobooks. Over time, the number of sentient beings who used printed books or knew of their purpose declined considerably. However, the Chiss Ascendancy favored using printed books to archive data, rather than electronic means because Csilla's ice storms caused the loss of a significant amount of information that had been stored using the latter method.
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