A History of Writing

(Paperback)

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Description

From the earliest scratches on stone and bone to the languages of computers and the internet, "A History of Writing" offers a fascinating investigation into the origin and development of writing throughout the world. Commencing with the first stages of information storage, Fischer focuses on the emergence of complete writing systems in Mesopotamia in the fourth millennium BC. He documents the rise of Phoenician and its effect on the Greek alphabet, generating the many alphabetic scripts of the West. Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean and Japanese writing systems are dealt with in depth, as is writing in pre-Columbian America. Also explored are Western Europe's medieval manuscripts and the history of printing, leading to the innovations in technology and spelling rules of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Reviews

[An] authoritative account . . . if you're intrigued with writings past, Fischers book is well worth a read . . . a brilliant book. * New Scientist *
[It] is wonderful . . . to see a subject that embraces so much of human civilisation handled with the wide knowledge and breadth of vision it deserves * Nature *

Author Bio

Steven Roger Fischer FRS is the author of many popular books including A History of Language (1999) and A History of Writing (2001), both published by Reaktion.