I may have misunderstood you, but that's what I got from:
Please review the thread for that, because I didn't write it. Certainly shouldn't be quoting me as having written it...
Oops, you are right! It was Erik Tyrell, not you! Sorry about that, I fixed the quote in the original post.
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You, Erik and Sdelear are all illustrating something that's important in these kinds of discussions, that stating your assumptions is important for these discussions. I will say that your assumptions have brought you to a point that is consistent to what is stated in Covenants as to the number of Branches of the Arts, being 8, or a majority of the Arts have Branches. As far as I know there is only one Branch that is described, and that's De Lapii in The Lion and the Lily with is L17Q14.
The other issue is how easily the scores can be raised. A level 50 ritual spell (55 to affect someone else) can permanently raise your com to 5. There are magical entities which can lend or give virtues, which could include good teacher. "Lend me good teacher for 3 seasons and I'll pay you in vis" should really help boost your book quality...
The availability of those is quite saga specific though.
The ritual to increase your COM is all fine from a RAW perspective, but you can probably only invent / cast it yourself if you are planning on being a Mentem, or Creo author. So, most authors are likely to be paying somebody else to do it. Either way, as a ritual it also costs vis and (depending on your "natural" COM value) you may need to cast it several times to get all the way to COM 5. Whether you have enough vis (of the right sort) sloshing around to expend on this is a saga specific question.
Likewise, although supernatural entities that can grant Virtues exist in RAW, the enthusiasm of them to do so, and ease of discovering and contacting the right supernatural entity is entirely up to your saga. Whether mere payment in vis would be acceptable is again saga specific.
Presumably, the Branches of the Arts would be summae of Level-Quality=35 as per the exception books rule. Eriks estimates (five) are within the ballpark RAW for exceptional texts. You cannot call summae of level+quality = 28-31 as exception without being outside of RAW. That is certainly OK, but if you are stating up a magus an covenant for use by others, RAW provides a definitive number for sound texts. It means that most PCs do not get to write summa that anyone wants to read during a normal saga. Level 10 - Quality 10 texts are vain books. This means that almost all texts that a covenant will obtain, will be under the Cow and Calf oath until the covenants magi gain enough experience to write an arts summa of a minimum level-quality of 28.
Currently their are 81 members of house Bonisagus by RAW. That's 52 magi Bonisagi and 29 magi Trianomae. For what it's worth, it is likely that magi Bonisagi come out of apprenticeship at some of the earliest ages 20-25. The order is 450 years old. Lets figure that each age cohort of Bonisagi is 60 years. Lets also posit that the house did not reach anything near its current size for the first two age cohorts. 450-120=330 years. This means 5 hermetic generations. Lets also figure that the house averaged 10% less than its current number of magi Bonisagi in the past (though this is handwaiving a sudden drop and then recovery around the Schism). That's 46 magi per generation or 230 total. Lets figure that half of these magi do not live long enough to write a summa (this seems overly pessimistic for lab rat Bonisagi) and half, for whatever reason, decide to skip the extra 7-10 points of house acclaim. That gives roughly 58 magi spread out over 15 arts or about two summa per art just written by Bonisagi.
Given that a major breakthrough gives 30 points of house acclaim and writing sound treatises on each of the arts gives 75 points I suspect that a fair number of Bonisagi could be considered prolific hermetic writers.
And it would seem that, in all of this, we come around to the point that books are a good way of transmitting knowledge and that a group who's members can live longer than 100 years probably has produced a lot of good books.
People don't like the Summa rules because it means their characters don't get to write good Summae. RAW though, is explicitly clear on what level forms a sound summa.
House Bonisagus Acclaim for summa ignores level, so, of course they can write as much as they want and the Bonisagus with Com -2 writes a L20 Summa with a quality of 4 and gets 10 acclaim.
Tractatus is different, but a prolific author who isn't any good can still get a lot of acclaim.
Bonisagus magi of the Bonisagi side appreciate intelligence over other chracteristics, it's a good way to boost the lab total, which is what that House is about. They share their knowledge, sure, but sharing it is enough, making it understandable is not part of the deal, and I can quite literally see most Bonisagus of not caring about the quality of their work.
Let me point out that my L10Q10 book example is by a magus who will be 3 years past gauntlet, nor does he have any resonant materials handy, and doesn't have all the skilled professionals. So, that Q10 is all from him (Base 3 + Com 2 + Good Teacher 3 +2 skilled professionals). I could wait a bit to write the L10Q15 text by doing a story for resonant materials, and hiring another skilled professional and gaining a few more levels, but I can count my seasons of writing this text right here right now as covenant service. Yes, please. Call me vain. I probably think this song is about me.
There's a lot that goes on in a magus's life. This particular character has yet to start his LR, but needs to sooner than later since he's 37. But his MT is only 3, so he needs to have a higher MT. And he's a Magical Mercere, with an illegitimate lineage so he has to work harder than most. Most magi can't plan for their perfect advancement. I've already had to skip planned advancement to do stuff for the benefit of the covenant, but one season out of 6 of covenant service takes a big bite out of one's schedule.
Getting great teacher:
- Might be able to be taught (don't have apprentices).
- Could be gained by visiting the magic realm (note: for shear story potential I'd say Bonisagus can be found in the magic realm and does give great teacher, but generates a study total so high that he gets to stick the student with additional virtues and flaws of his choice.)
- Can be initiated by a mystery cult.
- Probably can be gained by incorporating the right object of virtue into a talisman.
- Might be able to be gained by a magus with true faith joining a divine tradition that offers it.
- Can be granted by creatures capable of granting a virtue (this might cause warping).
- Can be granted by a a faerie wizard with the grant supernatural ability (will cause warping).
- Can be granted by a Gruagachan (will cause warping).
- While not RAW, might be granted by a Sahir using that traditions ability to teach virtues in the magic realm (will cause 2 points of warping).
- It is unknown what turning a pen into an object of quality using the Verditus mystery will do.
- Can be gained as a result of gaining more than 7 warping points and undergoing a positive twilight (Criamon magi might be great teachers in this edition)!
- Definitely not RAW but a co-author or editor with great teacher might confer the effects of the virtue (or not, we have no rules for co-authorship).
Communication can be increased:
- Through ritual spells (will give a point of warping).
- From an item of level 35-55 enchanted with Ansuz rune. (This will cause warping.)
- Might be granted by entities or casters with the ability to grant virtues (improved characteristic of greater characteristic)(expect continued warping).
- By RAW the virtue improved characteristics (Communication), can be gained by incorporating a correctly empowered Ovum Anguinum into a talisman. The rules are unclear about using this in any situation other than Com 0 to Com +2.
- Improved Communication and Great Communication might be gained via initiation (this is doubtful under the mystery cults rules as originally RAW, but seems completely possibly in light of subsequent published mystery initiations). This might be appropriate for alchemical cults based on perfection of the self.
- Almost any virtue (other than social and bonus XP virtues) can be gained as a result of a strong positive twilight.
Very high communication score can be generated:
- By the Essential Virtue Great Writer. The text of page 54 of ROP:M indicates that this should be possible, as do the authors comments. The text on page 45 says essential traits only affect rolls. The text on page 45 seems to be based upon the mythic characteristic virtue out of HoH;TL. As "twilight scares are basically Essential Traits for Magi" it might be possible to gain experience in an essential trait through twilight (and one can be gained or raise by exploring the twilight void, though this could be considered bordering on suicidal).
Note: I would be tempted to rule that a text benefiting from Essential Virtue Great Writer cannot be clarified.
Resonate Bonuses
Cannot be increased under RAW other than by using resonate materials.
Any text on the arts can have its quality increased by +1 by spending one pound for resonate materials.
Surprisingly, mythic blood does not have a restriction of no ritual effects. Creating moving visual species is a level 2 effect, +1 touch +4 duration (Until: Book is Destroyed) = Level 15. It is possible that a magus with Mythic Blood could create moving illustrations in his text that might give the equivalent of a +2 resonance bonus. This bonus would not carry over if the text were copied (and probably warps it).
It might be possible, based on the great teacher virtue, to create a lesser benediction that gives a +2 (or more) resonance bonus to texts a magus creates. Note, that these are likely to become highly sought after [insert writer's name] originals - generating vitality for the granting faerie as magi seeks to obtain the text. This probably does not cause warping (though the text might itself be a faerie creature).
The thing about Summae is you can trade in levels for quality. The average Bonisagi doesn't just write a level 20, qualify 6 Summa. He writes the summa, gets it bound in resonate materials (+1 bonus) and gets one of his former apprentices with a positive Com score to gloss it for an additional +1 quality. Besides the level 20, Quality 8 Summa, he writes 8 tracti on his specialy; a level 15 quality 13 summa; a Level 10 Quality 18 Summa and a level 7 quality 21 primer. The last he has multiple copies made and sends to his friends and associates with a request that they writer commentary on it in hopes of getting it recognized as one of the roots of the art.
The great benefit of being considered a root of the art is that it makes your text very well known and easy to get a hold of. That means other magi can write commentaries on the work for a +1 quality bonus (with the requirement that other magi must have read the commented book at some point). Further, if comments on a text becomes common enough you can put together a Florilegia of commentaries for another +1 bonus. I suspect the usefulness of commentaries is causing the order to move towards a canon of a small number Quality + Level 28-35 summae with a host of tracti commenting on them.
Bonusiagi also known enough magic theory to realize that they can incorporate objects of virtue into their talismans. On the other hand, you are pointing out that some of the Trianomea have very high communication scores. They might not have the single minded determination of a Bonisagi. On the other hand, they are not expected to do original research which means more time for studying arts.
Actually, now that you bring it up, the polemic rules in Transforming Mythic Europe suggest that writing texts is a crucial aspect of hermetic politics. Further, the quality of the text is vital to it effectively making its political point.
And there you have it: a group of Magi in House Bonisagus with motivation to seek out apprentices with high communications and great teacher, motivation to write a lot of texts and the resources to do so. Mystery solved, that is why the order has a lot of high ranking texts - magi Trianomae are writing and circulating the things for political reasons.
Sure, which results in decreasing acclaim.
All of which burn time, the most precious of a magus's resources.
I can see that. But I also see that summae are the devil.
More time. Trianomae are also more rambunctious and travel oriented. They are much more likely to die or have duties that prevent them from writing much. The Tenens Occultorum among 28ish magi with terms of 7 years means that every Trianomae is busy.
The longer I play the more ferverently I come to believe that summae are broken. Xavier has mentioned that the Order breaks his suspension of disbelief, but I'm beginning to think it is these summae. Vast repositories of experience purchase for a pittance of 15 or 20 pawns of Vis. A L20Q10 summa represents a maximum of 210 xp, whereas those same 20 pawns of Vis buy only 10 Q10 tractatus for 100 xp. Hmmm. Wonder which ones the players want to spend their build points on? Oh, yeah summa, because they are even cheaper that way.
Not sure why House Bonisagus is interested in this. They are interested in research, not necessarily the dissemination of knowledge. Indeed the Trianomae exist to disseminate knowledge and draw members of House Bonisagus out into the real world. It is possible after nearly 450 years Trianomae have begun to get apprentices with higher com and good teacher being taken by Bonisagi masters.
The only canon example we have is a summa with Level+Quality equal to 17+14=31, from (the errata of) tL&tL.
The original Quality in tL&tL was higher, but the line editor obviously decided it could not be that high given a title like "A buk on stowns" 
Sure, but the L20Q10 summa is useless to the experienced magus, whereas the 10 tractatus can be used at any Art score.
Summae are cheap, basic education for the masses. Tractatus are expensive specialization for a rarified niche of experts.
Even in the real world scientific journals cost much more, by the page, than Scientific American.
I think the current organization, with a few summae on a subject with a cloud of tractatus and commentaries orbiting them, accurately reflects the medieval scholarly environment. In fact, we have been tempted to houserule that there are no "basic" tractatus in Ars Magica, only commentaries.
An Art score of 20 is more than just experienced. 2 Arts at 20 puts you at Lab totals of the 40s if not breaking 50. As one of the requirements of being declared an Archmagus is inventing a 35th level spell, with a lab total of 50 it can be done with a TeFo of 40. The only issue remaining is how long does it take to invent that spell.
Basic is a very vague notion. 
Were that true, they should end at Level 5.
I tend to agree with that assessment, or think that's the way it should be, but in practice summae are cheaper than tractatus and will get a player further, especially in an Art he isn't good at but would like to be good at. Now, if you are a specialist and pursuing a narrow range of Arts, you have to go with tractatus for most of the highest Arts, but if you are a generalist, a bunch of summae is going to be awesome for you.
Summae are broken, because if you think they are cheap, basic education for the masses, they aren't doing that, they are doing much more than providing a cheap basic education. They are, especially if they exist at L20Q10 and the covenant has more than a couple of them, or some combination of one of those and L15Q15 summae, the path to Archmagus-hood. That's a lot more than basic education, whatever the definition of the word 'basic'.
Sdelear, I stipulate to your assumptions you've written earlier, they all seem fairly reasonable, which reinforces the conclusion I drew a while back, that summae are broken.
One doubt about books...
I can imagine than one author can make different Summas if he make them with different levels and qualities (Increasing Score on the subject or adquiring ways to make best qualities with Covenants rules) but... this could be with the Increasing Communication Score with Ritual Creo Mentem magic or somethin near to that? Or losing flaw on that activity or gaining some Virtue to write...
And with that, te best Communication, or only should be able increasing the Ability/Art score? Not changing his capability with Communication? Maybe he just could rewrite old works.
It all depends on the power level of your sagas; but the point is that if you allow L20 summas, then you assume the existence of specialists with an Art score of at least 40, compared to which a magus with a score of 20 is no more than "experienced". In general, to surpass the level of the authors who wrote the greatest (i.e. highest level) summae in the field, you need to gain more than three quarters of your experience from sources that are not summae.
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Which become Tractitus. It bothers me that the "greatest" in an Art can get there not by doing or experimenting but by just reading. I think it is a flaw in the system which puts all of the emphasis on books. I think of magic in ArM as a practical science ( like Chemestry) where books can only take one so far. You must experiment and practice to push the Art. Just my opinion which may not jive with the medieval learning process.
You think a score of 20 in an Art is no more than experienced? I know you used quotes, but, quotes are meaningless without context, and I have no context, unless it's a comparison between a score of 40 and 20. Let's define the term, or at least compare it to other circumstances and standards in Ars Magica. I think several books have said that a score of 5 in an Ability is a master of that Ability. I know that City and Guild suggests this, too, at least so far as Guild rank might apply. So an ability of 5 is 75 experience points, which is a score of 11 in an Art, almost 12. That's a master in an Art. What does an ability with 210 (experience needed for an Art score of 20) look like. It's 9, almost to 10, which if the character has a 5 in leadership suggests a Dean of the Guild.
Responding to your comment about experience from other sources, sure, if you're going for a score of 40+ yes, that's certainly true, but presumably, you can get most of that from chasing down the many sound and vain tractatus that should exist for this Art. And finally, when it's all said and done, you have a few levels where you have to learn from vis. When you're old, and already warped and the risks are greater. Something about this doesn't work so well...
The experience required to get to any level (X) in an art is (X+1)X/2 or (X^2+X)/2. If you halve X then the amount of experience is [(X/2)^2+(X/2)]/2 or X^2/8+X/4.
So total experience for this level-experience available from the summae is (X^2)/2-X^2/8+X/2-X/4 or 3X^2/8+X/4. To get half your experience from summae:
X^2/8+X/4=3X^2/8+X/4, which reduces to 1/8=3/8 or 1=3, so obviously this can never happen, you will always have less than 1/2 of your experience from summae. In order to get 'all' your experience from books depends on the quantity of available tracti. For level 40, 31600/8+40/4=640 xp, assuming level 11 tracti you would need 59 to get that much experience from just reading. A single level 40 author could only write 8 such tracti...
But you do not need a magi with level 40 in an Art to write Tractitus. You need 30 magi with level 5 in an art with high Com scores and good teacher. They write Tractitus every bit as good as someone with 40 in and Art.