Thank you to Robert Koehler for this book review of Papyrus : The Invention Of Books In The Ancient World by Irene Vallejo.
This marvelous tome describes not only how books helped to shape
the ancient world, but ours as well. In Papyrus, Spanish
historian and philologist Irene Vallejo provides in rich detail how both the
production of books and reading advanced, hand in hand, down through the
centuries. She traces how the earliest texts were first set onto stone
tablets, then on papyrus scrolls, and finally paper (a Chinese
invention). Writing emerged from –– and at first mimicked –– humankind’s oral
tradition, as the first readers spoke the earliest works aloud rather than
perusing silently.
Vallejo’s book does not follow a strict chronological order;
rather she jumps back and forth through time to present a complete picture of
the topics addressed. While much of her story focuses on the importance
of books in Greece, Alexandria, and Rome, it takes numerous detours to detail
the emergence of published works across Europe during the Middle Ages.
Also highlighted is the key role that libraries (and librarians) played to
ensure the survival of countless manuscripts despite warfare, wanton
destruction by rulers, and natural calamities.
Published in the US in 2022, Papyrus is a
paean to the importance of the written word as it traces the birth of alphabetic
script, literacy, and books’ lasting impacts on our world up to this day.
A lively and captivating work, on almost every page there is a fresh discovery
that is sure to inform and delight. Papyrus should
be added to every reader’s short list. For me, it is surely to be one of
the best books I’ll read this year.
No comments:
Post a Comment