The Book

A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time

Author: Keith Houston

Narrated by: Dennis Kleinman

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At a Glance

Format
Digital Audiobook

Duration
09:58.16

Published: 30th April 2019

Digital Audiobook

$33.99

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We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages—of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today. The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity's most important—and universal—information technology.