What do we call a book written by hand before printing?

The story behind the answer

Before Gutenberg, books were painstakingly copied by hand in monastic scriptoria; the very word comes from Latin manus (hand) + scribere/scriptus (to write). These hand-produced works, often on parchment or vellum, could be richly illuminated with gold leaf and vivid pigments, making them costly and time-consuming to create.

Note the distinctions: a codex is the bound-book format with pages that replaced the ancient scroll; a scroll is the rolled format itself; and a facsimile is a later, exact reproduction. Medieval treasures like the Book of Kells and illuminated psalters show ornate initials, marginalia, and even scribes’ jokes, offering a window into learning and daily life in the Middle Ages.