Product Description

This study of the history of reading goes from the earliest examples of the clay tablets and cuneiform of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt via the invention of printing in the 15th century to the birth of a mass reading public and today's digital revolution. It argues that it is the demands and expectations of the reader, acting alongside the creative will of the writer, that is the evolutionary motor of literary forms and genres. From man's first use of the written word simply as a form of reference, to the emergence of the first holy or devotional texts, and onto the development of fictions, both poetic and novelistic, this work aims to both challenge and enlighten.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #95312 in Books
• Published on: 1997-04-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Customer Reviews

Insightful overview
Insightful and readable account of man's relationship with the written word. This is a timely account showing how the transmission of thoughts and ideas through the written word has changed through the evolution of culture, learning, and the physical form of the written word. At a time when the informational age pushes us towards a new relationships with the written word, it is worth taking stock of how we got to this point in our cultural history.