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You will find that searching these terms will lead to hits such as "writing about history" and "travel writing" so you'll need to scroll through your results list to find appropriate titles.
Writing--History
Written communication--History
Alphabet--History
The Golden Thread by
A calligraphy expert traces the history of the written word from Mesopotamia to the digital revolutions of today in "a book no bibliophile should miss" (Publishers Weekly). From the simple representative shapes used to record transactions of goods and services in ancient Mesopotamia to the sophisticated typographical resources available to people in the 21st century, the story of writing is the story of human civilization itself. Here, calligraphy expert Ewan Clayton explores the social and cultural impact of the invention of the alphabet; the replacement of the papyrus scroll with the codex in the late Roman period; a fifteenth century printing innovation that led to the spread of literacy; the industrialization of printing during the Industrial Revolution; the impact of artistic Modernism on the written word in the early twentieth century--and of the digital switchover at the century's close. The Golden Thread also explores urgent issues for today's era of written communication. Chief among these is the fundamental question: "What does it mean to be literate in the early twenty-first century?"
Idea of Writing: Play and Complexity by
This exploration of the versatility of writing systems highlights their complexity when they are used to represent loanwords, solve problems of polysemy or when they are adapted to be used for another language. The approaches from different academic traditions provide a varied but expert account.
Literacy and the Politics of Writing by
With the growth of modern information technology, it is time to re-examine the concept and purpose of writing, and question the long cherished idea that the alphabet stands at the apex of a hierarchy towards which all 'proper' forms of writing must necessarily progress. This beautifully illustrated book shows that the primary purpose of writing is the ability to store and transmit information, information essential to the social, economical and political survival of a particular group. Writing, in whatever form, allows the individual the interact with the group, to acquire an amount of knowledge that far outweighs the scope of memory (oral traditions), and to be free to manipulate this knowledge and arrive at new conclusion. Providing a quick and easy entrance to information related to the subject, the volume contains a network of references leading the reader towards further information, and most entries are listed with bibliographical notes.
Visual and Written Culture in Ancient Egypt by
A generously illustrated selection of John Baines's influential writings on two core areas of ancient Egyptian civilization: the role of writing, which was very different in antiquity from what is familiar in the modern world, and the importance of visual culture. These questions are explored through a number of case studies. The volume assembles articles that were scattered in publications in a variety of disciplines, making available key contributions on coreproblems of theory, comparison, and analysis in the study of many civilizations and offering important points of departure for further research. Three wholly new essays are included, and the overall approach is an interdisciplinary one, synthesizing insights from archaeology, anthropology, and art historyas well as Egyptology.
Writing and Script: a Very Short Introduction by
Without writing, there would be no records, no history, no books, and no emails. Writing is an integral and essential part of our lives; but when did it start? Why do we all write differently and how did writing develop into what we use today?All of these questions are answered in this Very Short Introduction. Starting with the origins of writing five thousand years ago, with cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs, Andrew Robinson explains how these early forms of writing developed into hundreds of scripts including the Roman alphabet andthe Chinese characters.He reveals how the modern writing symbols and abbreviations we take for granted today - including airport signage and text messaging - resemble ancient ones much more closely than we might think.
The Writing Revolution: Cuneiform to the Internet by
In a world of rapid technological advancements, it can be easy to forget that writing is the original Information Technology, created to transcend the limitations of human memory and to defy time and space. The Writing Revolution picks apart the development of this communication tool to show how it has conquered the world. Explores how writing has liberated the world, making possible everything from complex bureaucracy, literature, and science, to instruction manuals and love letters Draws on an engaging range of examples, from the first cuneiform clay tablet, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Japanese syllabaries, to the printing press and the text messaging Weaves together ideas from a number of fields, including history, cultural studies and archaeology, as well as linguistics and literature, to create an interdisciplinary volume Traces the origins of each of the world's major written traditions, along with their applications, adaptations, and cultural influences
Writing History in the Digital Age by
Writing History in the Digital Age began as a "what-if" experiment by posing a question: How have Internet technologies influenced how historians think, teach, author, and publish? To illustrate their answer, the contributors agreed to share the stages of their book-in-progress as it was constructed on the public web. To facilitate this innovative volume, editors Jack Dougherty and Kristen Nawrotzki designed a born-digital, open-access, and open peer review process to capture commentary from appointed experts and general readers. A customized WordPress plug-in allowed audiences to add page- and paragraph-level comments to the manuscript, transforming it into a socially networked text. The initial six-week proposal phase generated over 250 comments, and the subsequent eight-week public review of full drafts drew 942 additional comments from readers across different parts of the globe. The finished product now presents 20 essays from a wide array of notable scholars, each examining (and then breaking apart and reexamining) if and how digital and emergent technologies have changed the historical profession.
