Keith Houston

“All this painstaking excavation, chemical analysis, and historical investigation only hinted at what Chinese scholars, historians, and even schoolchildren had known all along. Paper was invented in China
. . . Had those nineteenth-century Westerners thought to ask, the Chinese could have even told them the name of the man who invented it.”

In what may be the most meta- publication ever, it’s a book about books: their history, construction, and evolution from clay tablets to papyrus to show more parchment to Chinese woodblocks to Gutenberg prints to pulp paperbacks to computer typesetting to e-readers.

It’s a very satisfying book in a very physical, bookish sort of way that no screen device could ever be. It features color photos and illustrations and beautiful typography with ornamented section breaks and drop caps picked out in scarlet. There are even labels pointing out what the names of all the elements of a book are, like “chapter title,” “frontmatter head,” and so on. These may seem like whimsical additions now but who knows? Kids who grow up reading nothing longer than the captions on social media posts might need this information if they decide to become archaeologists or something.

The content is as rewarding as the form. Many might not think that the historical progression of papyrus scrolls to modern paperbacks could be terribly exciting, but it’s more interesting than you’d suspect. Like the curious fact that books have been roughly the same size and shape since at least the fourth century. Why have they been that size? Or how, without going into too much detail, you may not realize how the fate of book-making in general depended on how much underwear people threw out. This and other interesting tidbits become clear as you read. And the reading is easy. Houston’s style is open, entertaining, and informative.

So if you enjoy books for the sake of them just being books, and you’re the kind of person like me who’d rather know something than not know something, you may find it interesting too. show less

Not the nerdiest book I've read (that honor goes to The Secret Life of Pronouns), but it's up there. This is such a fascinating way to look at history. Technology, culture, beliefs, tradition, and the simple passage of time affect us in huge ways, but even the tiniest aspects of our lives can leave their mark and give us insight into what's important to us as human beings.

So, lots of cool things to learn from this book. And I'm now firmly in the "bring back the interrobang!" camp.

I'm a typography nerd, so a book about the history of punctuation would have appealed to me, regardless. However, Keith Houston's work stands out because his research is extremely thorough (including debunking several widespread myths about the origins of various symbols) and because of his witty and engaging writing style.

If you have a passing interest in the topic, this book is worth picking up. If you have a deep interest in the topic, you will find this book to be a rare gem.

Fascinating, well-written, and nicely designed exploration into the varied histories of the main aspects of what makes a book, a book. Materials to write on (the march from papyrus to parchment to paper), the development of text (from hieroglyphics and cuneiform to mechanical and photo-mechanical typesetting machines), the parallel development of printing techniques as required for non-type elements such as illustrations (from woodcut via copper plate up to offset lithography) and the show more physical form of pages and bookbinding.

Of necessity, the author jumps about a bit (chronologically and geographically) but his reasons for doing so are clear and it doesn't result in a messy tangle as it easily could have done. Also, I don't think I was distracted by a single typo throughout.

(The only drop of half a star is, ironically, for one aspect of the physical form of the thing: the bare, uncovered boards of the cover are already softening and fraying at the corners. For this reason I've ordered some brass book corner protectors, which I intend – when they arrive – to affix for strengthening. This will be apt, I think, as it will impart a little personalization and craftsmanship befitting the subject's history.) show less