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

This is the story of the invention and evolution of the printed word. Included are the histories of writing surfaces (papyrus, paper), writing implements and machines (scribes, printing presses, tablets), and the organization of these printed materials (the scroll to the book). One can make a very compelling case that the book is the most significant invention in the history of the human race. I certainly believe that to be true. It is the innovation upon which all progress is recorded, and without it being recorded, further progress would not be possible.Mr. Houston is a fastidious and entertaining writer, and this book is meticulously well written. I absolutely and thoroughly enjoyed reading this book from beginning to end. I learned so much, and will carry that knowledge with me into the future.I very enthusiastically recommend this book to anyone interested in the history of our most important technology.Best Regards,Tom Delaney

So, I could knock off a star because the copy editing and proofing were sloppy (I believe this was also true of Houston's other book, Shady Characters). One of the three-star reviews, for instance, pointed out that Herodotus was referred to as a Roman historian. I had to look into this: the first two mentions correctly say he was Greek, the third that he was Roman. Sloppy. And ordinary typos pop up as well, the kind that are not caught by spellcheck: for instance, "that" when it should have been "than." Considering how poorly edited almost everything seems to be these days, these infractions were slight.I didn't understand the few readers who found this book overwhelmingly detailed. The primary reason I'm giving it 5 stars is for readability. The story always takes precedence over the details. If anything, I found the text on the verge of becoming lightweight. To put a positive spin on it, he left room for further exploration. Though I've read other books on the history of books, paper, alphabets and typography, printing, book binding, pigments (a great companion to this would be Phillip Ball's history of pigments…Colored Earth, I think it's called), many of which go into greater detail than The Book, I found Houston's narrative to be one of the clearest and most informative of the bunch.A curious aside: why does Houston never refer to quires as signatures? Throughout he explains both modern and archaic terms, often giving a history of them, all the current ones familiar. I really can't recall any work on bookbinding calling a collection of stitched pages a quire. It's always called a signature. In reference to older books he calls it a gathering, then calls them quires in modern books. Are signatures an American thing?I would recommend The Book to anyone who sleeps better because they have overflowing shelves of books near their bed. A great read. Above all, he's telling a story. Fun, sometimes groaningly flippant, and informative.

An excellent treatise, written about an area of very great interest to myself. My copy didn't come with a dust jacket, but the attempt - successful - to make this a perfect example of 21st century book production was impressive. You want to know about Books? This is it.

This is such a niche book for true Bibliopiles it is hard to tell about it. It is utterly fascinating and almost a must read for those who appreciate the ability of of humans to turn thoughts into charaters and then storethose thoughts in a form that lasts thousands of years so that Isaiah, Homer, Plato, Caesar are alive in a very real way even today thanks to paper thread, ink and other media that caan sit there waiting until discovered. I like it a lot

I'm very impressed with this book, both in the content of the text and quality of the book itself. As a history of the development of the book it is more of an overview but that fits in with the intent of the book. The illustrations and images in the hardcover version are very useful and amazing clear and sharp; I wish more publishers would take this kind of care in their book. And the book itself has a certain charm to it, it really is a pleasure to read and enjoy.

Everyone who appreciates real books should read The Book. After learning all that has gone on over the millennia that has resulted in today's books, one can't help but love a finely made book even more. Keith did a great job in weaving a tapestry out of many different threads to present a rich picture of books. The stories of origins of papyrus, parchment, and paper, along with the history of writing and printing, make it complete.

While the book came late (it's actually showing as not delivered on Amazon), I did receive it. I collect books about books and The Book is a terrific addition to that collection. I know many won't believe you can be passionate about books: how they were made, the history of books, the smell and the various parts of a book but the author manages to convey that in this book. The brackets highlighting various parts of the book are a nice touch.

Well written, very attractively presented. The approach is mostly how changing materials and technology moved printing and publishing to its current state - from cuneiform to digital printing, from clay to papyrus to vellum to paper, etc.

Intriguing book that wears its considerable learning lightly. Attractive piece of book design and production too, but the front boards are very vulnerable to bumping and splitting in transit. Take care to scrutinise your copy carefully, if intended as a gift.

A book about books for book lovers. From paper, to print, to pictures and how a physical book is made these days.With beautiful illustrations.

Lovely presentation, captivating subject and excellent style.. I bought one for myself and order other copies as present for fiends who are also bookworms

Bought as a present, the recipient was delighted

Seldom one chances upon a history book that is written with expertise and is an entertaining read at the same time.