The study of records, handwritten notes and images on books allows to reveal the history of book existence as part of the history of society, to consider the reading process as a process of interaction between the reader and the book, and to trace the spread of books among various social groups. One of the “main characters” of this process, without a doubt, is ink — a material without which the creation of notes and drawings on books, and just on paper, would have been impossible. Specialists have a good idea of the appearance of the 18th—19th centuries records made with characteristic brown ink, the quality of which their authors paid great attention to, and often made it themselves. Ink had appeared in the ancient world, and, throughout history, ink recipes have been invented, developed, improved and, most importantly, recorded and published, which allows modern researchers to study them on the basis of preserved practical “manuals” and “home economics”. This study examines in detail the various components that were used to prepare ink in the 18th—19th centuries, describes the process of its production, and provides ink recipes from Russian publications of the 18th—19th centuries. The article shows that the number of recipes was increasing from century to century, which indicates an endless search for a perfect composition. Each manufacturer would develop their own “branded” recipe.