Spell scrolls were penned by Spellcasters using expensive ink that reacted to sound and contained the ability to hold magic. These words contained a mystical cipher that, when read allowed, cast a spell; they generally could only be interpreted by those who had studied the same type of magic as the author. Once a spell scroll's magic was released, the scroll crumbled to dust.
Unlike Spellbooks, spell scrolls carried an innate magic that made them easier to cast from.