Papermaking became a major industry in Baghdad under the Abassids. (Grotenhuis) They began to use paper for the Islamic art of calligraphy. In 970 AD, the Quran was produced using paper. (Cotter) Baghdad produced tons of paper and sold it to Europe. Paper was used as wrapping for goods, for commercial receipts and contracts, and as the product itself. (Bloom) At that time, most Europeans still used parchment. Parchment had also been used by Muslims. By the mid-10th century, paper completely replaced papyrus and parchment in the Muslim world. (Whitaker-theguardian.com) Parchment was made from animal skins in a long, laborious, and expensive process. When paper arrived, its production was easier and faster and no sheep had to die in the process. (Bloom) Another good thing about paper was that the ink penetrated it, so it was safer for important documents because it couldn't be erased like papyrus or parchment. (Bloom) Although parchment was still used for some things, paper began to become the writing instrument of choice around the world. From Europe paper and bound books eventually spread throughout the world. Paper was used for maps, charts, battle plans, literature, science, mathematics, music, architecture, and many other things. (Cotter) Stories, scientific ideas, country histories, and other ideas could be recorded and shared with people far away