"It can work either way. It can be done by hand, or there's a spell that simplifies it -" He produced another scroll (http://www.d20srd.org/srd/spells/readMagic.htm). "I use it often myself. You'd have to decipher the scroll for that to begin with, but it's one of the simplest spells and makes others much easier going. Some wizards do sell their spellbooks now and again, but there's usually still some work involved in interpreting their particular scribing style."