"You see books at school, at libraries, and at home. But who invented books? What materials are used to make a book? How do books make it onto shelves around the world? These questions and many more will be answered in this book about books"--

"A lighthearted history of printed books is told through absurd moments in the lives of authors and printers as collected by a popular rare book expert"--

In 14 original essays, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book reveals the history of books in all their various forms, from the ancient world to the digital present. Leading international scholars offer an original and richly illustrated narrative that is global in scope. 0The history of the book is the history of millions of written, printed, and illustrated texts, their manufacture, distribution, and reception. Here are different types of production,...

"A material culture study focused on the importance of books as objects from the Middle Ages to present. Looks beyond content of books to other properties such as printing, binding, and annotation. Over 140 full-color illustrations, bibliography, and index. Revised edition includes new text and images"--

"Papyrus is an enthralling journey through the history of books and libraries in the ancient world and those who have helped preserve their rich literary traditions. Long before books were mass-produced, those made of reeds from along the Nile were worth fighting and dying for. Journeying along the battlefields of Alexander the Great, beneath the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius, at Cleopatra's palaces and the scene of Hypatia's murder, award-winning author...

Presents an illustrated account of how printed books came into existence, describing how the world's first books were made by hand and how Johannes Gutenberg invented a way to print books with moveable type.

"Why do books have chapters? With this seemingly simple question, Nicholas Dames embarks on a literary journey spanning two millennia, revealing how an ancient editorial technique became a universally recognized component of narrative art and a means to register the sensation of time. Dames begins with the textual compilations of the Roman world, where chapters evolved as a tool to organize information. He goes on to discuss the earliest divisional...