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The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time
This is an exploration behind the elements that go into the creation of one of life's most powerful and precious objects - 'The Book'. From the history of the materials that were first used to what we use now. This is a delightful dip into the long and often surprising history of one of the world's most important information technologies.
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First published August 22, 2016
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About the author
Keith Houston
4 books134 followersKeith Houston is the author of Shady Characters, The Book, Empire of the Sum and Face with Tears of Joy. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times, Lapham's Quarterly, BBC Culture, and on Time.com. He lives in Linlithgow, Scotland, with his family.
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August 24, 2016This is the most epic of nerdpurrs: an image-filled exploration of the history of books! From the papyrus scrolls and tablets of ancient history to the beautiful bound books we hold in our hands today, this is the perfect gift to give a book lover. And by “book lover,” I mean “yourself.” (You’re not even still reading this description, are you? I know I was totally sold on the title alone.)
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
Tune in to our weekly podcast dedicated to all things new books, All The Books: http://bookriot.com/listen/shows/allt...
March 3, 2025
I love books. Of course I love the stories (I'm almost exclusively a fiction guy) but I also love the physical and intangible aspects of books: their design, the parts of a book, the writing and editing and publishing processes, their feel in the hand, arranging them on my shelves, public libraries and bookstores. I'm not a book sniffer, but I do appreciate the smell of an old book as long as it's not moldy. I love their dreaminess, I love imagining my children discovering a new favorite and getting lost in it, I love thinking about a great book while lying in bed. I could go on.
So a book all about books, how they came to be as we know them now? I'm there. Many thanks to the commenter on a Goodreads article that made me aware of this book on books, and to my public library for carrying a copy (look, I can't buy everything.)
Too bad it was boring.
I kid, I kid, except... yeah it was boring, but interestingly boring. It turns out I don't like reading history, and this is a history book above all things. It's a wonderful, thoroughly researched and referenced work that presents only the tip of the iceberg of the author/historian work to present this material to us, and I greatly appreciate that. Keith Houston made it as engaging as possible, bringing each moment's cultural and historical context to life within the limits of existing factual evidence and expert conjecture, but I still found it a struggle to engage with the material. It's just so dry (which is an excellent condition for preservation of the modern book's precursors)!
The Book walks us through papyrus, parchment, and paper, through the history of written language, through centuries of printing technology, the history of illustration, and more. Among other things, I learned that, until a couple hundred years ago, paper was mostly made from used underwear. (I may be oversimplifying. A little.) My favorite bits, though, were the tagged portions of the components of a book, including physical and text elements, that give name to many recognizable things that you may never have stopped to think there would be a name for. I still, though, don't know what to call those start-of-chapter "teaser" passages of the type: "in which our hero learns a valuable lesson" or what have you.
As a physical object, The Book is a lovely book, made with high quality materials and exquisite design in and out. It may hold the record for most extensive colophon at three pages. The backmatter is extensive, with many pages of references, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive index.
The book's introduction is primarily a lament of e-books, those soulless digital entities that pretend to be suitable substitutes for The Book's subject. I can enjoy e-books and lose myself in the story perfectly well most of the time, and I appreciate the ability to search text for words, make highlights and notes without committing atrocity, and having Kindle highlights port directly to Goodreads. But, my first choice is always an actual book, and I have no argument against the author here, following brief comment about the limitations of digital rights:
I dedicate the rest of this review to additional reasons why books are better, adding to it whenever something new occurs to me.
-You don't go to someone's home and look over their e-book library while you're hanging out. Do you really never want to either hear or utter, "Hey, can I borrow this book?"
-You can personalize a book. "To Patty on her 12th birthday. Love, Pops and Gran." Even secondhand when the parties are strangers, this becomes part of that copy's history.
-I've ordered adventure gamebooks (e.g. Deathtrap Dungeon) from used book sources and received them with previous owner's adventure logs and other paper treasures enclosed. I love that.
-Do you ever forget something from a book but you remember what area of the page it was on, and can find it by flipping through and scanning that space? E-books will constantly re-lay-out the page based on where you start and the font size and so forth.
-Special editions? Signed copies? Sprayed edges? Forget it.
-USED BOOKS.
-http://blog.archive.org/2022/11/15/di...
-In Insomnia by Stephen King, a couple of times when the characters faded from one plane of existence to a lower plane mid-speech, their planar dialogue appeared as fading-out print. The e-book could not (or did not bother to attempt to) duplicate this effect; instead the dialogue just cuts off abruptly. E-books lack print's flexibility for creative print effects.
(more to come as it arises)
So a book all about books, how they came to be as we know them now? I'm there. Many thanks to the commenter on a Goodreads article that made me aware of this book on books, and to my public library for carrying a copy (look, I can't buy everything.)
Too bad it was boring.
I kid, I kid, except... yeah it was boring, but interestingly boring. It turns out I don't like reading history, and this is a history book above all things. It's a wonderful, thoroughly researched and referenced work that presents only the tip of the iceberg of the author/historian work to present this material to us, and I greatly appreciate that. Keith Houston made it as engaging as possible, bringing each moment's cultural and historical context to life within the limits of existing factual evidence and expert conjecture, but I still found it a struggle to engage with the material. It's just so dry (which is an excellent condition for preservation of the modern book's precursors)!
The Book walks us through papyrus, parchment, and paper, through the history of written language, through centuries of printing technology, the history of illustration, and more. Among other things, I learned that, until a couple hundred years ago, paper was mostly made from used underwear. (I may be oversimplifying. A little.) My favorite bits, though, were the tagged portions of the components of a book, including physical and text elements, that give name to many recognizable things that you may never have stopped to think there would be a name for. I still, though, don't know what to call those start-of-chapter "teaser" passages of the type: "in which our hero learns a valuable lesson" or what have you.
As a physical object, The Book is a lovely book, made with high quality materials and exquisite design in and out. It may hold the record for most extensive colophon at three pages. The backmatter is extensive, with many pages of references, suggestions for further reading, and a comprehensive index.
The book's introduction is primarily a lament of e-books, those soulless digital entities that pretend to be suitable substitutes for The Book's subject. I can enjoy e-books and lose myself in the story perfectly well most of the time, and I appreciate the ability to search text for words, make highlights and notes without committing atrocity, and having Kindle highlights port directly to Goodreads. But, my first choice is always an actual book, and I have no argument against the author here, following brief comment about the limitations of digital rights:
All that set aside, pluck a physical book off your bookshelf now. Find the biggest, grandest hardback you can. Hold it in your hands. Open it and hear the rustle of paper and the crackle of glue. Smell it! Flip through the pages and feel the breeze on your face. An e-book imprisoned behind the glass of a tablet or computer screen is an inert thing by comparison.Ironically, The Book is also available as an e-book. Audiobooks do not receive the slightest mention, as is appropriate.
I dedicate the rest of this review to additional reasons why books are better, adding to it whenever something new occurs to me.
-You don't go to someone's home and look over their e-book library while you're hanging out. Do you really never want to either hear or utter, "Hey, can I borrow this book?"
-You can personalize a book. "To Patty on her 12th birthday. Love, Pops and Gran." Even secondhand when the parties are strangers, this becomes part of that copy's history.
-I've ordered adventure gamebooks (e.g. Deathtrap Dungeon) from used book sources and received them with previous owner's adventure logs and other paper treasures enclosed. I love that.
-Do you ever forget something from a book but you remember what area of the page it was on, and can find it by flipping through and scanning that space? E-books will constantly re-lay-out the page based on where you start and the font size and so forth.
-Special editions? Signed copies? Sprayed edges? Forget it.
-USED BOOKS.
-http://blog.archive.org/2022/11/15/di...
-In Insomnia by Stephen King, a couple of times when the characters faded from one plane of existence to a lower plane mid-speech, their planar dialogue appeared as fading-out print. The e-book could not (or did not bother to attempt to) duplicate this effect; instead the dialogue just cuts off abruptly. E-books lack print's flexibility for creative print effects.
(more to come as it arises)
February 5, 2017
Vienu dienu iegāju grāmatnīcā un skatos – plauktā stāv grāmata par grāmatām! Vienkārši bija neiespējami atstāt viņu nenopirktu. Dikti jau nu smuki bija noformēta, skaisti iesieta un arī nosaukums The Book bija iespaidīgs. Nopirku atstiepu mājās un pāris mēnešus lasīšanu atliku.
Grāmatas, kādas mēs tās pazīstam, tagad nemaz nav tik sens izgudrojums, tām ir knapi 2000 gadi, un salīdzinot ar rakstīšanas izgudrošanu, cilvēkiem ir vajadzējis diezgan daudz laika, lai līdz tām nonāktu. Autors grāmatu ir sadalījis četrās daļās.
Lapaspuse – mūsdienās grāmata tiek iespiesta uz papīra, kurš lielākoties pat pie nevīžīgas apiešanās spēs izturēt vismaz simts gadus. Tagad sekos pāris interesantas lietas, ko izzināju no šīs nodaļas. Taču papīrs ir jaunlaiku mode, agrāk valdīja papiruss un pergaments. Autors apskata visu šo materiālu vēsturi. Papirusu visplašāk lietoja Nīlas reģionā (akmens un māls arī bija neslikti papirusa substitūti, bet ar zīmēm iekalts monuments, lai ar cik smuks neizskatītos, lielākoties nav lāga piemērots ikdienas lietošanai). Senā Ēģipte papirusu pat eksportēja un ieviesa zināmu standartizāciju. Taču reiz tirdzniecības karu laikā papirusa piegādes apsīka un helēņi no Pergamas parādījās ar saviem ādas izstrādājumiem – pergamentu. No tā laika papirusa dienas bija skaitītas, ne jau dēļ pergamenta praktiskuma, bet piegādes trūkuma. Katrs jau zina, ka pergamentam ir spalvas un miesas puse un ka vislabākais pergaments sanāk no priekšlaicīgi dzimušu lopiņu ādas. Taču pats galvenais, kas ir jāzina, papīra rūpnieciskās ražošanas attīstību aizkavēja linu apakšveļas lupatu trūkums, bija laiki, kad vecas apenes bija stratēģisks valsts resurss. Papīra izgudrošanu sev piedēvē ķīnieši, radīdami leģendu, kuru promoutēja pats “izgudrotājs”, tas bija einuhs ar politiskām ambīcijām un meistarīgs apvērsumu organizētājs, beigu beigās viņš bija spiest “nomirt no raizēm”.
Teksts – šī nodaļa veltīta tintei, iespiedmašīnām un burtiem. Te ir gan manuskriptu pārrakstītāju un inkunābulu veidotāji, viņu tintes un darba vietas. Lai pārrakstītu grāmatu, nevajadzēja pat prast lasīt vai zināt valodu. Jo tādi rakstītpratēji un valodu zinātāji mēdz labā grāmatā pierakstīt klāt par to, cik sūdīgs darbs ir grāmatu pārrakstīšana, kā salst rokas un kājas. Gūtenbergs te tiek aprakstīts no visām pusēm, uzņēmīgs cilvēks, kurš biznesu uzsāka tirgojot svētceļniekiem spogulīšus, un kā viņš ar savu Bībeli ielika industrijai ne tikai pamatus, bet arī standartus. Tikai tad sekoja linotipi, ofsetspiedes un citas štelles, to vēsture te atrodama sīki un smalki aprakstīta. Galvenais, kas man palika atmiņā, grāmatu izdošanas lielākā problēma bija malu pielīdzināšana un fontu noformēšana. Pats tehniskais process uz kājām tika nostādīts ātri, bet ņemšanās ar atstarpēm vēl bija problēma pērnā gadsimta sākumā.
Ilustrācijas – mūsdienās grūti iedomāties, ka reiz bildes grāmatās bija nopietna lieta. Ilustrēta grāmata nozīmēja, ka kādam bija jāpārzīmē ne tikai burti, bet arī jāzīmē bildes. Pirmie ar šo lietu aizrāvās senie ēģiptieši. Ne visi cilvēki bija lasītpratēji, un ko tev līdzēs “Nāves grāmata” kapā līdz ielikta, ja tu no viņas neko nesapratīsi? Bet tā nebija nekāda joka lieta, dvēselei, lai tiktu pie tiesas, bija jāiziet neskaitāms kvestu daudzums. Tad nu izlīdzējās ar bagātīgi ilustrētiem materiāliem. Klosteros mūki lielākoties smuki zīmēja tikai pirmos burtus, un līdz iespiešanas tehnikas radīšanai neviens ar ilustrēšanu pārāk neaizrāvās. Tikai ar litogrāfijas un fotogrāfijas rašanos bildes grāmatā kļuva izplatīta parādība.
Forma – te nu ir skaidrs, ka īstas nojēgas, kādēļ grāmata izskatās tieši šādi un nevis savādāk, nevienam nav. Ir daudz teoriju, kuras atradušas netiešus apstiprinājumus. Viena ideja ir par agrīnajiem piezīmju blociņiem, kastītēm, kas piepildītas ar vasku, uz kura ātri piefiksēt svarīgas lietas. Citi domā, ka tā ir papirusu tīstokļu evolūcijas rezultāts, pirmā atrastā grāmata ir veidota no papirusa. Starp citu, to atrada miskastē. Taču kad lieta aizgāja, grāmata savu formu praktiski nav mainījusi no viduslaikiem. Ir mainījušās ievākošanas metodes, burtnīcu kopā sašūšanas veidi, un teiksim godīgi, mūsdienās izdevēji pārāk daudz paļaujas uz līmi, tā lielākoties ne velna netur kopā.
Īsumā, bagātīgs grāmatu faktu klāsts, kas izklāstīts interesantā un saistošā veidā. Autors nav skopojies un savu grāmatu ir padarījis par parauggrāmatu, piemeklēts smuks fonts, katram grāmatas aspektam tiek dots tā nosaukums, gaumīgs noformējums un foršs papīrs. Īstam grāmatmīlim vismaz viena šāda grāmata par grāmatām ir jāizlasa! Es rekomendētu sākt ar šo – 10 no 10 ballēm.
Grāmatas, kādas mēs tās pazīstam, tagad nemaz nav tik sens izgudrojums, tām ir knapi 2000 gadi, un salīdzinot ar rakstīšanas izgudrošanu, cilvēkiem ir vajadzējis diezgan daudz laika, lai līdz tām nonāktu. Autors grāmatu ir sadalījis četrās daļās.
Lapaspuse – mūsdienās grāmata tiek iespiesta uz papīra, kurš lielākoties pat pie nevīžīgas apiešanās spēs izturēt vismaz simts gadus. Tagad sekos pāris interesantas lietas, ko izzināju no šīs nodaļas. Taču papīrs ir jaunlaiku mode, agrāk valdīja papiruss un pergaments. Autors apskata visu šo materiālu vēsturi. Papirusu visplašāk lietoja Nīlas reģionā (akmens un māls arī bija neslikti papirusa substitūti, bet ar zīmēm iekalts monuments, lai ar cik smuks neizskatītos, lielākoties nav lāga piemērots ikdienas lietošanai). Senā Ēģipte papirusu pat eksportēja un ieviesa zināmu standartizāciju. Taču reiz tirdzniecības karu laikā papirusa piegādes apsīka un helēņi no Pergamas parādījās ar saviem ādas izstrādājumiem – pergamentu. No tā laika papirusa dienas bija skaitītas, ne jau dēļ pergamenta praktiskuma, bet piegādes trūkuma. Katrs jau zina, ka pergamentam ir spalvas un miesas puse un ka vislabākais pergaments sanāk no priekšlaicīgi dzimušu lopiņu ādas. Taču pats galvenais, kas ir jāzina, papīra rūpnieciskās ražošanas attīstību aizkavēja linu apakšveļas lupatu trūkums, bija laiki, kad vecas apenes bija stratēģisks valsts resurss. Papīra izgudrošanu sev piedēvē ķīnieši, radīdami leģendu, kuru promoutēja pats “izgudrotājs”, tas bija einuhs ar politiskām ambīcijām un meistarīgs apvērsumu organizētājs, beigu beigās viņš bija spiest “nomirt no raizēm”.
Teksts – šī nodaļa veltīta tintei, iespiedmašīnām un burtiem. Te ir gan manuskriptu pārrakstītāju un inkunābulu veidotāji, viņu tintes un darba vietas. Lai pārrakstītu grāmatu, nevajadzēja pat prast lasīt vai zināt valodu. Jo tādi rakstītpratēji un valodu zinātāji mēdz labā grāmatā pierakstīt klāt par to, cik sūdīgs darbs ir grāmatu pārrakstīšana, kā salst rokas un kājas. Gūtenbergs te tiek aprakstīts no visām pusēm, uzņēmīgs cilvēks, kurš biznesu uzsāka tirgojot svētceļniekiem spogulīšus, un kā viņš ar savu Bībeli ielika industrijai ne tikai pamatus, bet arī standartus. Tikai tad sekoja linotipi, ofsetspiedes un citas štelles, to vēsture te atrodama sīki un smalki aprakstīta. Galvenais, kas man palika atmiņā, grāmatu izdošanas lielākā problēma bija malu pielīdzināšana un fontu noformēšana. Pats tehniskais process uz kājām tika nostādīts ātri, bet ņemšanās ar atstarpēm vēl bija problēma pērnā gadsimta sākumā.
Ilustrācijas – mūsdienās grūti iedomāties, ka reiz bildes grāmatās bija nopietna lieta. Ilustrēta grāmata nozīmēja, ka kādam bija jāpārzīmē ne tikai burti, bet arī jāzīmē bildes. Pirmie ar šo lietu aizrāvās senie ēģiptieši. Ne visi cilvēki bija lasītpratēji, un ko tev līdzēs “Nāves grāmata” kapā līdz ielikta, ja tu no viņas neko nesapratīsi? Bet tā nebija nekāda joka lieta, dvēselei, lai tiktu pie tiesas, bija jāiziet neskaitāms kvestu daudzums. Tad nu izlīdzējās ar bagātīgi ilustrētiem materiāliem. Klosteros mūki lielākoties smuki zīmēja tikai pirmos burtus, un līdz iespiešanas tehnikas radīšanai neviens ar ilustrēšanu pārāk neaizrāvās. Tikai ar litogrāfijas un fotogrāfijas rašanos bildes grāmatā kļuva izplatīta parādība.
Forma – te nu ir skaidrs, ka īstas nojēgas, kādēļ grāmata izskatās tieši šādi un nevis savādāk, nevienam nav. Ir daudz teoriju, kuras atradušas netiešus apstiprinājumus. Viena ideja ir par agrīnajiem piezīmju blociņiem, kastītēm, kas piepildītas ar vasku, uz kura ātri piefiksēt svarīgas lietas. Citi domā, ka tā ir papirusu tīstokļu evolūcijas rezultāts, pirmā atrastā grāmata ir veidota no papirusa. Starp citu, to atrada miskastē. Taču kad lieta aizgāja, grāmata savu formu praktiski nav mainījusi no viduslaikiem. Ir mainījušās ievākošanas metodes, burtnīcu kopā sašūšanas veidi, un teiksim godīgi, mūsdienās izdevēji pārāk daudz paļaujas uz līmi, tā lielākoties ne velna netur kopā.
Īsumā, bagātīgs grāmatu faktu klāsts, kas izklāstīts interesantā un saistošā veidā. Autors nav skopojies un savu grāmatu ir padarījis par parauggrāmatu, piemeklēts smuks fonts, katram grāmatas aspektam tiek dots tā nosaukums, gaumīgs noformējums un foršs papīrs. Īstam grāmatmīlim vismaz viena šāda grāmata par grāmatām ir jāizlasa! Es rekomendētu sākt ar šo – 10 no 10 ballēm.
August 14, 2021
Lielisks, izzinošs ceļojums grāmatas evolūcijā. Enciklopēdisks, bet lasāms, daudz faktu, skaidrojumu, mazliet apjukums pie visiem tipogrāfiskajiem aprakstiem, bet tas tikai parāda autora iedziļināšanos tematā.
Vislabākais rezumē - grāmatas ir taisnstūrainas, jo aitas, kazas un govis ir taisnstūrainas, precīzāk to ādas.
Vislabākais rezumē - grāmatas ir taisnstūrainas, jo aitas, kazas un govis ir taisnstūrainas, precīzāk to ādas.
December 26, 2015
The is an epic nerd-fest for book lovers. The detail and depth of research into EVERY aspect of the book-as-object is intensely fascinating. If you've ever wondered about the history, culture and manufacture of paper, print, binding and deckled edges this is the book for you. I loved it and I will certainly buy a physical copy to keep referring to overtime. I love a micro-history anyway but the history of the book really does cover the global span of human experience ancient and modern in a way few other micro-histories I've read do. I really can't recommend this book enough.
May 19, 2018
From BBC radio 4 - Book of the Week:
Just what goes into the making of a book? Keith Houston takes us to the banks of the Nile Delta in Egypt to explore the creation of Papyrus when humans first put ink to paper.
This is an exploration behind the elements that go into the creation of one of life's most powerful and precious objects - 'The Book'. From the history of the materials that were first used to what we use now. This is a delightful dip into the long and often surprising history of one of the world's most important information technologies.
Written by Keith Houston
Read by Deborah Findlay
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2...
Just what goes into the making of a book? Keith Houston takes us to the banks of the Nile Delta in Egypt to explore the creation of Papyrus when humans first put ink to paper.
This is an exploration behind the elements that go into the creation of one of life's most powerful and precious objects - 'The Book'. From the history of the materials that were first used to what we use now. This is a delightful dip into the long and often surprising history of one of the world's most important information technologies.
Written by Keith Houston
Read by Deborah Findlay
Abridged by Libby Spurrier
Produced by Celia de Wolff
A Pier production for BBC Radio 4.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b2...
September 6, 2019
Sigo en mi biblioteca personal mi interpretación de la máxima del famoso editor Alfred A. Knopf: "Los libros deben imprimirse en un formato digno de sus contenidos". Eso es, palabras más, palabra menos una regla que me he puesto de considerar tan importante el "hardware" del libro (el libro como objeto) del "software" (el texto en sí). Esto, claro, es uno de los pocos reductos donde me permito delectarme en conseguir siempre las cosas bien hechas.
Lo cual nos lleva a este libro. Hay libros de "microhistoria" (la historia de la humanidad a través de un solo objeto o recurso) que hablan de la sal, de la seda, del paraguas o de las bebidas. Éste es acerca del libro, desagregado en partes entre el soporte (papiro, pergamino, papel), la tinta, las ilustraciones y por último el encuadernado (rollo, códice y libro). Todo a través de la historia de las civilizaciones y los grandes saltos tecnológicos que han permitido que la información llegue hasta a nosotros del modo en el que se ve en las librerías y que pese a su cantada muerte, se niega a morir todavía.
Algo que tiene Houston con este libro es que de la forma más británica posible, suelta sarcasmos y bromitas de forma intempestiva en el texto. En una de las primeras páginas, se echa un chiste de La Princesa Prometida con lo cual se ganó enteramente mi simpatía.
Pero tristemente, para un tema tan fascinante, Houston decidió un camino que le pone las cosas un poco cuesta arriba al lector. Y este camino es el describir con lujo de detalle técnico el quid de todas y cada una de las tecnologías descritas en el libro. Desde una discusión acerca de cómo se cortaba el papiro, la discusión de cómo salieron los tamaños estándar del papel hasta la descripción de cómo funcionan el monotipo y el linotipo, las matrices de los tipos móviles, el encuadernado copto o cómo se desarrolló la litografía. Es genial conocer esto, pero son tecnologías difíciles de entender. Descritas en una parrafada, llevan al lector (o a este lector) a buscar diagramas y videos en Youtube para explicar. Habría sido muy bueno que gastaran en un ilustrador para diagramar y explicar así un poco mejor las cosas en vez de contarlas una a una y así abotargar al lector.
Un dato que ya sabía pero que Houston amablemente hace saber al lector que no conozca del tema, es este que me atormenta a veces: ¿Por qué de repente los impresores -sobre todo en Estados Unidos- les da por imprimir en el peor papel posible? Y la respuesta es, claro, dependiendo de los inventarios de papel ácido o libre de ácido que haya en el mercado en general y lo que convenga más a las editoriales en ese momento determinado. Es muy notorio por ejemplo cuando empezó a declinar la circulación de los periódicos por ahí de 2008 que empezó a haber un exceso de papel de pulpa muy malo en el mercado y éste lo absorbieron las editoriales. Libros impresos en esta época ya están muy amarillos por la mala calidad del papel.
Al final, me llevo que la historia del libro es grande, venerable y compleja. Quizá hasta gloriosa porque ha tocado todas las épocas y todas las civilizaciones. Todos los que nos preciamos de leer deberíamos conocerla para maravillarnos de todo lo que hay detrás de un libro.
Lo cual nos lleva a este libro. Hay libros de "microhistoria" (la historia de la humanidad a través de un solo objeto o recurso) que hablan de la sal, de la seda, del paraguas o de las bebidas. Éste es acerca del libro, desagregado en partes entre el soporte (papiro, pergamino, papel), la tinta, las ilustraciones y por último el encuadernado (rollo, códice y libro). Todo a través de la historia de las civilizaciones y los grandes saltos tecnológicos que han permitido que la información llegue hasta a nosotros del modo en el que se ve en las librerías y que pese a su cantada muerte, se niega a morir todavía.
Algo que tiene Houston con este libro es que de la forma más británica posible, suelta sarcasmos y bromitas de forma intempestiva en el texto. En una de las primeras páginas, se echa un chiste de La Princesa Prometida con lo cual se ganó enteramente mi simpatía.
Pero tristemente, para un tema tan fascinante, Houston decidió un camino que le pone las cosas un poco cuesta arriba al lector. Y este camino es el describir con lujo de detalle técnico el quid de todas y cada una de las tecnologías descritas en el libro. Desde una discusión acerca de cómo se cortaba el papiro, la discusión de cómo salieron los tamaños estándar del papel hasta la descripción de cómo funcionan el monotipo y el linotipo, las matrices de los tipos móviles, el encuadernado copto o cómo se desarrolló la litografía. Es genial conocer esto, pero son tecnologías difíciles de entender. Descritas en una parrafada, llevan al lector (o a este lector) a buscar diagramas y videos en Youtube para explicar. Habría sido muy bueno que gastaran en un ilustrador para diagramar y explicar así un poco mejor las cosas en vez de contarlas una a una y así abotargar al lector.
Un dato que ya sabía pero que Houston amablemente hace saber al lector que no conozca del tema, es este que me atormenta a veces: ¿Por qué de repente los impresores -sobre todo en Estados Unidos- les da por imprimir en el peor papel posible? Y la respuesta es, claro, dependiendo de los inventarios de papel ácido o libre de ácido que haya en el mercado en general y lo que convenga más a las editoriales en ese momento determinado. Es muy notorio por ejemplo cuando empezó a declinar la circulación de los periódicos por ahí de 2008 que empezó a haber un exceso de papel de pulpa muy malo en el mercado y éste lo absorbieron las editoriales. Libros impresos en esta época ya están muy amarillos por la mala calidad del papel.
Al final, me llevo que la historia del libro es grande, venerable y compleja. Quizá hasta gloriosa porque ha tocado todas las épocas y todas las civilizaciones. Todos los que nos preciamos de leer deberíamos conocerla para maravillarnos de todo lo que hay detrás de un libro.
February 21, 2017
If you like books and wanted to know more about the history of books themselves, as in the origins of paper, printing, illustrations and bookbinding, and not have to read through umpteen tomes, this is a great summation of the 2000 years of history behind books. Though the author conveys a lot of information, his tone is not pedantic, and he inserts little amusing comments to keep things moving along.
I read the hardcover, which was actually used a little like a teaching tool. On a separate note, the paper is thick, the illustrations are well done, and this is an attractive (though a little heavy) reference.
I read the hardcover, which was actually used a little like a teaching tool. On a separate note, the paper is thick, the illustrations are well done, and this is an attractive (though a little heavy) reference.
November 6, 2016
Reading a book; this is something everybody in Goodreads loves, we love sitting down and reading, touching the book , and even smelling it, but few of us knows what processes go into making the book we happen to hold in our hands at the moment. This book is about just that, all the processes that the idea of a "book" went through to what we now recognize as a book. It takes us from Egypt, the Roman Empire, pergamon all the way to renaissance Europe to now. The book is broken into sections (paper, ink, illustrations, writing, cover, binding) in each of these sections we learn how each of these processes evolved through time and combined into making a contemporary book, this is a very interesting book that should be a must for every book lover .
November 9, 2016
As a conservator, The Book is slightly problematic.
The fire-truck red cloth and exposed boards with white text make for an aesthetically pleasing cover. I like the design of the book, the annotations telling you what the different parts of a book are called. The pictures and text are clear and the paper is fantastic quality, with fantastic print quality, rare in modern books.
However, the reason the design is problematic for me as a conservator is because there’s a reason why book boards generally aren’t left exposed: the corners are delaminating – the layers that make up the board are peeling apart – a small amount of damage from taking the book in and out of my bag.
Despite some dodgy design choices, The Book is well thought out and comprehensive: it offers a snapshot of many aspects of bibliography and offers the reader a huge amount of information (in very digestible chunks) that they can follow up at their own leisure, aided by a well-stocked ‘Notes’ section and index.
By the nature of my profession I already knew a lot about some of the things described in The Book. Even when refreshing my knowledge on how paper was made or who invented printing, I was able to access the information with a new perspective. Housten’s facts aren’t the typical dry scholarly fare I am used to: within the pages of The Book are thousands of stories – and I liked reading them. While perhaps not a volume for history of the book scholars to quote directly, this style allows access to information that makes the whole learning process quite enjoyable.
However, I think approaching this book as a complete novice may leave the reader confused in some places. I know about book structures and their developments across the years, but I had a hard time visualising what exactly was being described in the early section – it’s all very well describing the content, but not to know what the content was written on makes a cloudy picture. The four act structure of The Book was probably intended to read like a book being built up from scratch: but this can be a bit confusing – it would help if there were notes and markers of further information and explanation later on in The Book.
Perhaps because I know more about structures than anything else, it was disappointing that there was barely any information about Eastern book structures within, as it especially focused on Western book structures.
I did enjoy The Book and its many stories. I picked up many interesting facts (see below) while re-freshing on others, and I will likely scour the notes section to follow more information. The Book assumes a general knowledge, but perhaps an apprentice bibliophile can work their way through without too much trouble. The entire history of the book is contextualised through stories and world events, marking the book as the important cultural object it is.
July 16, 2024
In this volume, Keith Houston aims to provide a “cover-to-cover” exploration of what he calls “the most powerful object of our time.” He refers not to the supercomputer or the nuclear bomb, but the book.
As he explains, “this book is about the history and the making and the bookness” of the “physical book” (xvii). Houston has already made his mark in scholarly discussions of what many would consider minutiae in Shady Characters, which tells the story behind various punctuation symbols. Broadening his scope to the paged book allows Houston to continue in this vein.
The structure of The Book examines the four major aspects of the physical book form. Houston examines in turn, the pages books are made of (part 1), the text that fills these works (part 2), the illustrations that often illuminate those pages (part 3), and the tangible form of the “physical book” (part 4). Each of these sections tells a story that spans from ancient through to contemporary times. Moving to a new section is like hitting the carriage return on a typewriter as Houston takes us back to the ancient world to explore the origins of a paratextual feature of the book form.
For example, in part one, Houston takes readers from the papyrus plant in ancient Egypt, to the subsequent “grisly invention” of animal-skinned parchment, and finally to the “ambiguous origins” of paper in China and its journey across the world and through the centuries (3-76). Part two, then, begins with the invention of writing by the Sumerians back in “one of the oldest settled civilizations in the world” (79).
For each of these sections, too, Houston lingers over a sociological spectrum that he fills out with supplementary information and intriguing anecdotes. For example, Houston’s account of the Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun and his quest to navigate the imperial court of the Han dynasty and master the art of papermaking is genuinely interesting and helps bind together a technical account of the origin of paper (see 39-49). Interesting vignettes also punctuate Houston’s account: conspiracy theories to explain enigmatic watermarks on medieval paper (59-60); ancient prayers by Arab writers to the “King of the Cockroaches” to protect their books from insect infestation (51-52); silk maps smuggled in Monopoly board games to prisoners in World War II (38); the role of linen undergarments in the early production of paper in Europe (61-62); a papermaking company in Greeneville, Connecticut that in the 1850s used linen from ancient mummies for materials; the happenstance discovery of a trove of manuscripts in an Egyptian trash heap (261-63); the murder mystery associated with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi collection (277-79). Houston manages to weave together a web of these technical details into a coherent narrative that reads at times like a user manual and at times like an adventure tale.
Houston concludes the book with a colophon that describes, in the style of his own history of the paged book, every process that was required to produce The Book (329-31). This final section illustrates once more that the modern printed book “is the solution to an equation that takes in more than two thousand years of human history” (331). Because Houston often refers to the physical copy of The Book to illustrate a feature of bookmaking, the volume itself becomes a tangible piece of evidence for this account. Houston’s account is also well documented with an impressive range of scholarly works from the relevant fields of bookmaking. Accordingly, this book can also function as an accessible starting point for further research in these fields.
One storyline that is missing from Houston’s account but worth mentioning is the early and unanimous preference for the codex among early Christians in the Mediterranean world. The early adoption of this book form by early Christians outpaces the broader Greco-Roman culture by at least a century. Partly as an aid for public reading, the production and transmission of the New Testament and the biblical canon as a whole in the codex form is a historically significant aspect of the “birth of the codex.”
Indeed, as “people of the book,” the history of the Jewish and Christian communities intersect at many places with the history of the paged book. There is much to mine from this interdisciplinary intersection. Even a brief discussion of the great Greek codex manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments from the fourth and fifth century would have enhanced this section of the narrative.
For example, the origin of Codex Sinaiticus and Constantin von Tischendorf’s Indian Jones like adventures in the nineteenth century to discover portions of this manuscript by chance in a heap material to be burned in a monastery on Mount Sinai is the type of tale that would fit nicely within Houston’s history. This observation is not really a critique of Houston’s work but perhaps simply a note for those interested both in book production and biblical studies. In this regard, Houston does mention the Dead Sea scrolls (25-28) and carefully details a codex of the Gospels from the seventh century (the St Cuthbert Gospel, 284-87).
Throughout his narrative, Houston also includes accounts of anxiety over each technological advance in book production. New advances were often met with scorn, suspicion, or alarm. For example, some worried in ancient Egypt that the invention of writing would “produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it” because they will “not practice their memory” (8). As the use of writing materials transitioned, Peter the Venerable in 1141 preferred parchment over papyrus and decried the latter’s origin from “the rags of old cast-off undergarments, or rushes out of Eastern swamps, and some other vile material” (56). These paradigm-shifting changes were sometimes recognizable but often the true reach of a new technology was only gradually realized.
When writing was combined with sheets of papyrus, for instance, a quiet revolution unfolded. This combination created “a self-contained mechanism for the storage and transmission of information—a pairing that endured as the premier information technology of the ancient world even as that world changed and expanded” (9). Houston also notes the spread of papyrus as a material for writing from Egypt out across the Mediterranean world over the course of thousands of years. Remarkably, though, “in all this time no one thought to write down precisely what this irreplaceable material was or how it was made” (10).
In a similar vein, Houston’s chronological survey also highlights that the rise and fall of various versions of bookmaking elements overlapped more than is often recognized (e.g., Houston notes the “overlapping reins” of papyrus and parchment, 36, and also the fact that paper becomes dominant while papyrus and parchment were still in use, 55). The quest for an account of the true “invention moment” leads to the recognition that these discoveries were often arrived at independently, at different times, and in different locations. Through his history, Houston highlights the less sensational notion that the “inventors” of these technologies usually did not first discover but rather perfected the production of a particular new method (e.g., 61-62). This historical memory can help temper the angst contemporary readers sometimes feel while in the throes of technological advance.
Significant too is the impact that technological advance has on the user’s experience. As Houston notes, “Paper, in its turn, subtly changed the people whose hands it passed through” (55). With the transition from papyrus or parchment to paper, for example, new genres of literature were possible, such as cookbooks or religious commentary (55). Another example comes with the advent of the cheaper paperback, which made possible the “dime novel” genre (308-09). Though Houston does not expand on this type of reflective commentary, it does surface occasionally and his volume provides a broad framework for those interested in this kind of analysis.
Houston begins his volume with a mini-lament about the technological advances that have relativized the “physical book” form. In this regard, there are varying contemporary impulses that either aim to deconstruct the physical constraints of the paged book or seek to preserve the paratextual features of the codex. Houston could have perhaps included a separate chapter or a concluding reflection on the digitization and destabilization of the codex with the rise of new media. However, this omission perhaps illustrates the difference between text and hypertext: a “book” must end!
And so must a book review.
As he explains, “this book is about the history and the making and the bookness” of the “physical book” (xvii). Houston has already made his mark in scholarly discussions of what many would consider minutiae in Shady Characters, which tells the story behind various punctuation symbols. Broadening his scope to the paged book allows Houston to continue in this vein.
The structure of The Book examines the four major aspects of the physical book form. Houston examines in turn, the pages books are made of (part 1), the text that fills these works (part 2), the illustrations that often illuminate those pages (part 3), and the tangible form of the “physical book” (part 4). Each of these sections tells a story that spans from ancient through to contemporary times. Moving to a new section is like hitting the carriage return on a typewriter as Houston takes us back to the ancient world to explore the origins of a paratextual feature of the book form.
For example, in part one, Houston takes readers from the papyrus plant in ancient Egypt, to the subsequent “grisly invention” of animal-skinned parchment, and finally to the “ambiguous origins” of paper in China and its journey across the world and through the centuries (3-76). Part two, then, begins with the invention of writing by the Sumerians back in “one of the oldest settled civilizations in the world” (79).
For each of these sections, too, Houston lingers over a sociological spectrum that he fills out with supplementary information and intriguing anecdotes. For example, Houston’s account of the Chinese eunuch named Cai Lun and his quest to navigate the imperial court of the Han dynasty and master the art of papermaking is genuinely interesting and helps bind together a technical account of the origin of paper (see 39-49). Interesting vignettes also punctuate Houston’s account: conspiracy theories to explain enigmatic watermarks on medieval paper (59-60); ancient prayers by Arab writers to the “King of the Cockroaches” to protect their books from insect infestation (51-52); silk maps smuggled in Monopoly board games to prisoners in World War II (38); the role of linen undergarments in the early production of paper in Europe (61-62); a papermaking company in Greeneville, Connecticut that in the 1850s used linen from ancient mummies for materials; the happenstance discovery of a trove of manuscripts in an Egyptian trash heap (261-63); the murder mystery associated with the discovery of the Nag Hammadi collection (277-79). Houston manages to weave together a web of these technical details into a coherent narrative that reads at times like a user manual and at times like an adventure tale.
Houston concludes the book with a colophon that describes, in the style of his own history of the paged book, every process that was required to produce The Book (329-31). This final section illustrates once more that the modern printed book “is the solution to an equation that takes in more than two thousand years of human history” (331). Because Houston often refers to the physical copy of The Book to illustrate a feature of bookmaking, the volume itself becomes a tangible piece of evidence for this account. Houston’s account is also well documented with an impressive range of scholarly works from the relevant fields of bookmaking. Accordingly, this book can also function as an accessible starting point for further research in these fields.
One storyline that is missing from Houston’s account but worth mentioning is the early and unanimous preference for the codex among early Christians in the Mediterranean world. The early adoption of this book form by early Christians outpaces the broader Greco-Roman culture by at least a century. Partly as an aid for public reading, the production and transmission of the New Testament and the biblical canon as a whole in the codex form is a historically significant aspect of the “birth of the codex.”
Indeed, as “people of the book,” the history of the Jewish and Christian communities intersect at many places with the history of the paged book. There is much to mine from this interdisciplinary intersection. Even a brief discussion of the great Greek codex manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments from the fourth and fifth century would have enhanced this section of the narrative.
For example, the origin of Codex Sinaiticus and Constantin von Tischendorf’s Indian Jones like adventures in the nineteenth century to discover portions of this manuscript by chance in a heap material to be burned in a monastery on Mount Sinai is the type of tale that would fit nicely within Houston’s history. This observation is not really a critique of Houston’s work but perhaps simply a note for those interested both in book production and biblical studies. In this regard, Houston does mention the Dead Sea scrolls (25-28) and carefully details a codex of the Gospels from the seventh century (the St Cuthbert Gospel, 284-87).
Throughout his narrative, Houston also includes accounts of anxiety over each technological advance in book production. New advances were often met with scorn, suspicion, or alarm. For example, some worried in ancient Egypt that the invention of writing would “produce forgetfulness in the minds of those who learn to use it” because they will “not practice their memory” (8). As the use of writing materials transitioned, Peter the Venerable in 1141 preferred parchment over papyrus and decried the latter’s origin from “the rags of old cast-off undergarments, or rushes out of Eastern swamps, and some other vile material” (56). These paradigm-shifting changes were sometimes recognizable but often the true reach of a new technology was only gradually realized.
When writing was combined with sheets of papyrus, for instance, a quiet revolution unfolded. This combination created “a self-contained mechanism for the storage and transmission of information—a pairing that endured as the premier information technology of the ancient world even as that world changed and expanded” (9). Houston also notes the spread of papyrus as a material for writing from Egypt out across the Mediterranean world over the course of thousands of years. Remarkably, though, “in all this time no one thought to write down precisely what this irreplaceable material was or how it was made” (10).
In a similar vein, Houston’s chronological survey also highlights that the rise and fall of various versions of bookmaking elements overlapped more than is often recognized (e.g., Houston notes the “overlapping reins” of papyrus and parchment, 36, and also the fact that paper becomes dominant while papyrus and parchment were still in use, 55). The quest for an account of the true “invention moment” leads to the recognition that these discoveries were often arrived at independently, at different times, and in different locations. Through his history, Houston highlights the less sensational notion that the “inventors” of these technologies usually did not first discover but rather perfected the production of a particular new method (e.g., 61-62). This historical memory can help temper the angst contemporary readers sometimes feel while in the throes of technological advance.
Significant too is the impact that technological advance has on the user’s experience. As Houston notes, “Paper, in its turn, subtly changed the people whose hands it passed through” (55). With the transition from papyrus or parchment to paper, for example, new genres of literature were possible, such as cookbooks or religious commentary (55). Another example comes with the advent of the cheaper paperback, which made possible the “dime novel” genre (308-09). Though Houston does not expand on this type of reflective commentary, it does surface occasionally and his volume provides a broad framework for those interested in this kind of analysis.
Houston begins his volume with a mini-lament about the technological advances that have relativized the “physical book” form. In this regard, there are varying contemporary impulses that either aim to deconstruct the physical constraints of the paged book or seek to preserve the paratextual features of the codex. Houston could have perhaps included a separate chapter or a concluding reflection on the digitization and destabilization of the codex with the rise of new media. However, this omission perhaps illustrates the difference between text and hypertext: a “book” must end!
And so must a book review.
June 17, 2021
Beautiful book about books, starting with papyrus scrolls and on from there. With all sorts of cool details, which may be more than you want to know at times. Darn, I thought I kept some notes (as I continue to clear a backlog of books read but not reviewed). OK, here's Lata's nice review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Almost certainly, if you have a half-decent public library, they will have a copy. Recommended for fellow book-lovers. Don't settle for the ebook! I'll plan to take a second look, down the line.
Almost certainly, if you have a half-decent public library, they will have a copy. Recommended for fellow book-lovers. Don't settle for the ebook! I'll plan to take a second look, down the line.
December 27, 2020
整體說來，我還蠻喜歡這本《書的大歷史︰橫跨歐亞大陸，歷經六千年，認識推動人類歷史的最強知識載具》。
雖然關於文字、關於紙張、關於活版印刷，書市中一向都有不少作品。但本書洋洋灑灑，將各種相關的資訊全都統合起來，讓人獲得了相當多的知識。特別是印刷術，一般的科普歷史大多只講那位「鵝肉．古騰堡」先生，然而其同時與之後發展的精彩度（雕版、凹版、平版、攝影）也絲毫不遜色。總的來說，「印刷術」一直都是個大資本投入開發的行業，成功者獲益豐厚，但失敗的投資卻也比比皆是。
不過本書令我感到不甚滿意的，或許還是「插圖過少」。由於當中提到不少和技術開發層面相關的機具設計，有時看到一大長串描述（再加上本書的翻譯問題很多……），最後還是對於當中的關鍵技術不甚了了，相當可惜。
可以一讀的書。
#原來字母的羅馬體所指的是源自於神聖羅馬帝國而非古羅馬
雖然關於文字、關於紙張、關於活版印刷，書市中一向都有不少作品。但本書洋洋灑灑，將各種相關的資訊全都統合起來，讓人獲得了相當多的知識。特別是印刷術，一般的科普歷史大多只講那位「鵝肉．古騰堡」先生，然而其同時與之後發展的精彩度（雕版、凹版、平版、攝影）也絲毫不遜色。總的來說，「印刷術」一直都是個大資本投入開發的行業，成功者獲益豐厚，但失敗的投資卻也比比皆是。
不過本書令我感到不甚滿意的，或許還是「插圖過少」。由於當中提到不少和技術開發層面相關的機具設計，有時看到一大長串描述（再加上本書的翻譯問題很多……），最後還是對於當中的關鍵技術不甚了了，相當可惜。
可以一讀的書。
#原來字母的羅馬體所指的是源自於神聖羅馬帝國而非古羅馬
January 29, 2021
Ein historisches Buch über die Entwicklung von Büchern.
Wie sind Schriften entstanden, wer waren die Pionierre im Buchdruck, wie hat man die ersten Illustrationen abgedruckt und wie hat man Bücher gebunden.
In diesem Buch lernt man alles darüber, was Bücher so besonders macht und welche reiche Geschichte sie hinter sich haben. On top ist dieses Buch auch sehr toll gebunden und riecht sehr gut. (Wollte ich erwähnt haben.)
Wie sind Schriften entstanden, wer waren die Pionierre im Buchdruck, wie hat man die ersten Illustrationen abgedruckt und wie hat man Bücher gebunden.
In diesem Buch lernt man alles darüber, was Bücher so besonders macht und welche reiche Geschichte sie hinter sich haben. On top ist dieses Buch auch sehr toll gebunden und riecht sehr gut. (Wollte ich erwähnt haben.)
February 25, 2016
A wonderful, breezy survey of the history of books including fascinating chapters on the materials and methods of their manufacture. A treat for any bibliophile.
January 16, 2017
My daughter called me a king nerd when she saw me reading this history book but I found it very intriguing.
March 28, 2020
I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time, even before I picked up Houston’s Shady Characters a few years ago. Although I had more fun reading that one, I’m glad I finally got to this meticulously researched history of books.
This book has everything—every little detail about the history of the book. There are nearly 80 pages dedicated to the origin and development of paper, from papyrus to parchment to paper in its various forms. So many interesting facts, and I fear many of them will fall out of my head. For some reason the one that springs to mind as I write this is that paper used to be made from old rags. Weird, right?
So besides all the stuff about paper, there’s a lot on the evolution of writing, from cuneiform to typesetting; the history of illustration in books; and the structure of books, from scrolls to codex.
One of my favorite chapters was “Ties That Bind: binding the paged book.” It was neat, because I could look at the book in my hand and see what he was describing, even when he was talking about techniques dating back 1,000 years. So even though in some respects I wish I’d had this on kindle so I could have highlighted, I’m glad I had the hardcover. And not only so I could study the binding—the design of the book is really cool. Every part is labeled like it’s in a diagram, it has a nifty cover, and the page color and font (11 point Adobe Jenson Pro Light, if you must know) are easy on the eyes.
It really is lovely.
This book has everything—every little detail about the history of the book. There are nearly 80 pages dedicated to the origin and development of paper, from papyrus to parchment to paper in its various forms. So many interesting facts, and I fear many of them will fall out of my head. For some reason the one that springs to mind as I write this is that paper used to be made from old rags. Weird, right?
So besides all the stuff about paper, there’s a lot on the evolution of writing, from cuneiform to typesetting; the history of illustration in books; and the structure of books, from scrolls to codex.
One of my favorite chapters was “Ties That Bind: binding the paged book.” It was neat, because I could look at the book in my hand and see what he was describing, even when he was talking about techniques dating back 1,000 years. So even though in some respects I wish I’d had this on kindle so I could have highlighted, I’m glad I had the hardcover. And not only so I could study the binding—the design of the book is really cool. Every part is labeled like it’s in a diagram, it has a nifty cover, and the page color and font (11 point Adobe Jenson Pro Light, if you must know) are easy on the eyes.
It really is lovely.
September 6, 2022
My dad was a book person. He was a librarian and bibliographer of some note. He had tens of thousands of books at our house. He finished our basement so that he could line it with bookshelves, then built an additional library behind our garage and a further library behind that one. He bought a lake house more to have additional book storage than for recreation. So I have books in my blood, though I have always treasured them more for reading than as physical objects.
Given my background, I already knew a lot of the material in this book, but it was a good refresher and taught me some things that I didn't know, particularly about how many of the innovations in books and writing turn out to have happened far earlier than the conventional stories credit and many of the supposed inventors of important innovations were really just improvers or promoters. Fortunately Gutenberg holds onto his place securely.
The emphasis here is on the physical book - papyrus, parchment, paper; printing technologies, the development of the codex, woodblocks, moveable type, engraving, lithography, and offset printing, plus different binding techniques. I would have enjoyed learning more about the history of the business and the law around books and printing, but I guess you can't fit everything into one volume.
Given my background, I already knew a lot of the material in this book, but it was a good refresher and taught me some things that I didn't know, particularly about how many of the innovations in books and writing turn out to have happened far earlier than the conventional stories credit and many of the supposed inventors of important innovations were really just improvers or promoters. Fortunately Gutenberg holds onto his place securely.
The emphasis here is on the physical book - papyrus, parchment, paper; printing technologies, the development of the codex, woodblocks, moveable type, engraving, lithography, and offset printing, plus different binding techniques. I would have enjoyed learning more about the history of the business and the law around books and printing, but I guess you can't fit everything into one volume.
January 26, 2018
Jeśli myśleliście, że o książkach wiecie już wszystko, to zajrzyjcie do Książki.
Och, co to jest za fascynująca lektura, nie macie nawet pojęcia. Pochłonęłabym ją za jednym zamachem, gdyby nie to, że zdrowy rozsądek kazał dawkować sobie tę przyjemność w jakiś sensownych kawałkach. Może zabrakło mi krótkiego rozdziału o różnych krojach pisma i ich twórcach i o typografii samej w sobie, no ale nie można mieć wszystkiego. Kolofon trochę zaspokoił mój informacyjny głód, ale to nie zmienia faktu, że mi mało ;)
Och, co to jest za fascynująca lektura, nie macie nawet pojęcia. Pochłonęłabym ją za jednym zamachem, gdyby nie to, że zdrowy rozsądek kazał dawkować sobie tę przyjemność w jakiś sensownych kawałkach. Może zabrakło mi krótkiego rozdziału o różnych krojach pisma i ich twórcach i o typografii samej w sobie, no ale nie można mieć wszystkiego. Kolofon trochę zaspokoił mój informacyjny głód, ale to nie zmienia faktu, że mi mało ;)
January 4, 2017
A book about the history of. . the BOOK! (I'm sold.)
February 20, 2017
This is a really beautiful object. If you read the colophon, it has all sorts of details about the book’s binding and printing processes. The pages feel lovely, and though I’m not a fan of the cover — it’s just so… cardboardy, and gets easily scuffed — it looks good. The page design is really fun: when a new element like a title, bullet or indent shows up, there’s a label on it. Also for gutters, margins, etc. The photos and images included are in colour, too. All in all, it’s a great gift item, something to give to someone who loves books. It’s less readable for being such an object in its own right; I sort of want to keep it pristine rather than read it. Particularly given that it’s not cheap (though there is an ebook).
But, read it I did, and it’s a fascinating book. It’s split into a couple of different parts, following the development of the book: paper, writing, ink, the invention of the codex as the physical format. It’s clear and, as far as I can tell, accurate. I enjoyed reading it: the prose is clear and to the point, without being dry.
If you’re fascinated by books, not just for stories but for their scent and feel as well, this is probably well worth picking up. It’d definitely make a good-looking gift for someone so inclined. I found it both enjoyable and informative.
Originally posted here.
But, read it I did, and it’s a fascinating book. It’s split into a couple of different parts, following the development of the book: paper, writing, ink, the invention of the codex as the physical format. It’s clear and, as far as I can tell, accurate. I enjoyed reading it: the prose is clear and to the point, without being dry.
If you’re fascinated by books, not just for stories but for their scent and feel as well, this is probably well worth picking up. It’d definitely make a good-looking gift for someone so inclined. I found it both enjoyable and informative.
Originally posted here.
July 13, 2021
As a bibliophile, bookworm, and former typesetter, I found much to enjoy in this history and learned some new things about paper, ink, books, literacy the world over, bookbinding, etc. Houston only briefly covers the ancient Americas & books, since we know so little about that--same for Africa aside from Egypt, and the Oceania regions. He covers Islam/Indo-Persian book history less completely than Asian and European, but a text that comprehensive would be another 100 pages long.
What he has done is entertaining, full of interesting facts, etymology, and socio-cultural/economic currents that had impacts upon the development of the book "as we know it."
What he has done is entertaining, full of interesting facts, etymology, and socio-cultural/economic currents that had impacts upon the development of the book "as we know it."
April 5, 2023
Okay, two stars might be a little harsh...but I did not enjoy this book. I had to read it for a class, and while there were plenty of interesting tidbits and stories, most of it was pretty dull. And repeated. Multiple times. I wouldn't have minded a brief history of the book as we know it today, but this was...too much. If you're really passionate about books and how they're made, you may love this book, but for the average person, it's quite boring. (It took me an hour to read a chapter on average, and the chapters are like 15-30 pages long)
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December 10, 2017Not only is this book pleasant to the eye but it also makes for fascinating reading, beginning with the development of the material upon which we write on. If you have ever wondered about how today’s written book came about, read The Book. From papyrus to parchment, clay tablets, wax writing boards, to woodcut printing, intaglio printing, and the creation of the folio and quarto books, you will befriend all their inventors. A very interesting book about The Book. –Anna Q. L.
May 6, 2018
The Book is everything you could ever want to know about the origins, construction & tiny details of a book. A treasure for bibliophiles and the curious.
June 20, 2019
The book itself is lovely and reading it was a pleasure.
August 8, 2017
Make no mistake, The Book is an epic, slow, hard to digest read. It is more thorough in describing the history of books (and all of its parts) than you could possibly ever want, or even need. Oftentimes, it certainly feels more like a history manual than a factual book, which is often frustrating because you just know you won't be able to memorise any of the names/dates/facts/Kings/events you've just read.
However, for a book so factual, it is beautifully written and quite engaging. Keith manages to provide his own distinct tone of voice throughout the entire book, which is quite the feature.
So am I giving this book only 4 stars because it is too detailed and too thorough? Well, maybe. Perhaps I've made the mistake of not taking enough notes, as I feel like I've learned way too much to process individually and spit out into words I can remember and factually tell everyone. But if you're prepared, The Book is a mandatory read, and perhaps the only book of its kind, you could possibly need to read. It's also a beautifully bound and well made book — my suggestion? Never lend it to friends, as risking ruining such a beautiful piece could be, quite literally, a type crime.
However, for a book so factual, it is beautifully written and quite engaging. Keith manages to provide his own distinct tone of voice throughout the entire book, which is quite the feature.
So am I giving this book only 4 stars because it is too detailed and too thorough? Well, maybe. Perhaps I've made the mistake of not taking enough notes, as I feel like I've learned way too much to process individually and spit out into words I can remember and factually tell everyone. But if you're prepared, The Book is a mandatory read, and perhaps the only book of its kind, you could possibly need to read. It's also a beautifully bound and well made book — my suggestion? Never lend it to friends, as risking ruining such a beautiful piece could be, quite literally, a type crime.
September 15, 2025
The problem with Keith Houston’s The Book is that the devil is in the details. The author’s scheme is to break down the evolution of the separate elements of a book into a hyper technical discussion of their manufacturing processes. Although the author is to be commended for a facile writing style it does not hide the fact that much of the discussion is about as useful, comprehensible, and enjoyable as the instructions and diagrams accompanying a “some assembly required” purchase or an appliance manual. If you like that kind of reading material this is the book for you. On the other hand if you are a book lover and/or book collector with an appreciation of history (and yes science too) but not a wiz at instantly conceptualizing mechanical production there are better alternatives that describe the history of books.
January 1, 2018
If you’re interested in how books came to be book-shaped, this is for you. A readable and humorous, but academically referenced, tale of how we got the ink, printing, paper, covers, sizes, and shapes in the way books currently are produced.
This one was of particular interest to me as both a book nerd and a medievalist, and I was pleased to see the topics I was already familiar with covered in an accurate way - this bodes well for the rest of the story, always a concern when you’ve picked up a book in the popular and cheaply-priced end of the spectrum.
If you are going to pick this up, I definitely recommend getting a Dead Tree version, simply because the author so often refers to the object you’re holding as a demonstration of the ideas he talks about.
And also it’s very sexy.
This one was of particular interest to me as both a book nerd and a medievalist, and I was pleased to see the topics I was already familiar with covered in an accurate way - this bodes well for the rest of the story, always a concern when you’ve picked up a book in the popular and cheaply-priced end of the spectrum.
If you are going to pick this up, I definitely recommend getting a Dead Tree version, simply because the author so often refers to the object you’re holding as a demonstration of the ideas he talks about.
And also it’s very sexy.
May 16, 2020
When I went to California, I visited the Bookbinder museum and they gave me a personal tour of how books were bound throughout history. The entire experience was so much better than I ever would have predicted. I unexpectedly fell absolutely in love with book binding. This book reminded me of much of what I learned at the museum so many years ago.
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