A history of writing, this new book by the author of Library: An Unquiet History is written for general readers. While it is highly educational, tracing the hows and whys of writing from stone tablets to computer scripts, it is not meant to mimic a textbook. It is written as a book-length essay, giving readers the sense of a conversation with a person who is thoughtful about and passionately interested in a subject. Readers from many walks of life may find themselves sharing the author's conviction that the ability to write things down is vitally important and deeply strange, and has shaped our thoughts, our lives, and our history. Chapters focus the story on various topics--the origins of writing, holy books, literature, writing by machine, how writing and thinking connect, and others. While the book has a basically Western focus, writers, readers, and stories come from many sources here, including ancient Egypt, the Islamic world, and China. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com) Read Less