Finally, someone else wondering the same as me

I was watching Grimm last night, and I noticed that the hero was writing up his experiences of recent encounters.  And I could have cheered.

The hero was using the same sort of book, writing by hand etc with the same pen and ink drawings, as the ones he was consulting to get information on what to do with the latest conundrum.  Finally someone other than me has thought, where do these books of wisdom come from?  Who wrote them and why?  Why aren't people still making them?  The book was shown as still continuing so that the next hero can benefit. 

Now all we need to find out is why so many vital bits of occult wisdom are on the internet, laboriously re-typed and copied (hopefully accurately) just in the nick of time for the plot of the book or film to work.  All I seem to find is 101 uses for white vinegar.