The History Inn on Instagram: "The bookwheel was a rotating reading device invented in the late 16th century by Italian military engineer Agostino Ramelli. First published in his 1588 book Le Diverse et Artificiose Machine, the design allowed multiple open books to be mounted on shelves fixed to a large vertical wheel. As the wheel turned, a system of gears kept each book level, enabling scholars to switch between texts without losing their place—especially useful for comparative reading in theo