Palimpsest : a history of the written word / Matthew Battles.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Battles, Matthew.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Writing--History.

Writing.

History.

Written communication--History.

Written communication.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

262 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, [2015]

Summary:

"Why does writing exist? What does it mean to those who write? Born from the interplay of natural and cultural history, the seemingly magical act of writing has continually expanded our consciousness. Portrayed in mythology as either a gift from heroes or a curse from the gods, it has been used as both an instrument of power and a channel of the divine; a means of social bonding and of individual self-definition. Now, as the revolution once wrought by the printed word gives way to the digital age, many fear that the art of writing, and the nuanced thinking nurtured by writing, are under threat. But writing itself, despite striving for permanence, is always in the midst of growth and transfiguration."--From the publisher.

Contents:

Books in running brooks

Origins and nature

Pictures and things

Writing and power

Holy writ

Logos ex machina

Page as mind.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [227]-238) and index.

ISBN:

9780393058857 :

0393058859

OCLC:

783163653