Final answer:
Historical preservation of books involved hand-copying manuscripts, creating translations, and adopting new materials like paper. Digitization and archival efforts in modern times aim to protect these texts for future generations.
Step-by-step explanation:
Preserving books in history has entailed strategies such as hand-copying manuscripts, translating works into different languages, and using advancements in materials like paper for easier replication. The early Islamic government funded scholars to mass-produce books and translate knowledge from various cultures, leading to a significant spread of information throughout the Islamic Empire. Monasteries in Europe also played a key role in preserving texts, especially religious and classical writings, creating illuminated manuscripts, a form of medieval art. Modern efforts to preserve historical texts include depositing fragile manuscripts in libraries for digitization and better preservation. Projects to digitize medieval West African texts are underway, though with challenges due to the owners' reluctance to part with their treasures.