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

“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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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

I have to start by saying this poor book was an innocent bystander to the just-completed 2017 BookLikes-opoly game. That is the only reason it took me 2.5 months to read it; it certainly wasn't due to any shortcomings on the part of the subject or writing itself.

The Book is exactly what it says it is on the cover: a history of every physical aspect of the book as we know it today; from the creation of the writing surface (clay, wax, papyrus, parchment, paper) to the development of writing itself, the process of putting one on the other, and the evolution of the useable and practical units (scrolls, codices, etc.) of collection. Each part of what makes up the book is labeled, as can be seen on the cover itself. No part is ever labeled show more more than once so it doesn't become tedious.

Far from being the dry, academic dissertation my description makes it sound like, The Book is really well written and very easy reading. The author is knowledgeable and just relaxed enough and funny enough to remind you of a really good, relatable professor whose lectures you never mind attending. Enjoyable enough, even, that a few dropped articles from the text weren't quite enough for me to ding my rating. For those academically minded, there are very comprehensive notes and bibliography sections at the back.

I have the hardcover edition of this and it is beautiful. As close as you can come, I imagine, to a handmade book on a mass market scale. My only quibble is that in the spirit of showing the reader what a book is made of, the covers are left as the raw fibreboard; it looks nice but it's not going to be durable unless care is taken with the corners. I intend to take care, but still, I half wish they'd at least varnished the boards as a way of reinforcing those delicate corners.

If you not only love books for the stories they contain, but for the physical objects that they are, and you enjoy a bit of history, this book might be one for your permanent collection and it's very much worth having the physical hardcover edition - just make sure to watch those corners. show less

I’ve been meaning to read this for a long time, even before I picked up Houston’s Shady Characters a few years ago. Although I had more fun reading that one, I’m glad I finally got to this meticulously researched history of books.
This book has everything—every little detail about the history of the book. There are nearly 80 pages dedicated to the origin and development of paper, from papyrus to parchment to paper in its various forms. So many interesting facts, and I fear many of them will fall out of my head. For some reason the one that springs to mind as I write this is that paper used to be made from old rags. Weird, right?
So besides all the stuff about paper, there’s a lot on the evolution of writing, from cuneiform to show more typesetting; the history of illustration in books; and the structure of books, from scrolls to codex.
One of my favorite chapters was “Ties That Bind: binding the paged book.” It was neat, because I could look at the book in my hand and see what he was describing, even when he was talking about techniques dating back 1,000 years. So even though in some respects I wish I’d had this on kindle so I could have highlighted, I’m glad I had the hardcover. And not only so I could study the binding—the design of the book is really cool. Every part is labeled like it’s in a diagram, it has a nifty cover, and the page color and font (11 point Adobe Jenson Pro Light, if you must know) are easy on the eyes.
It really is lovely. show less

If you enjoy book history and/or discussions of the book as object, you should definitely pick up this book. Divided into four sections (the page, the text, illustrations, and form), Houston explores the history of the book from its early roots to its current form. He covers thousands of years of history with thoroughly enjoyable writing and occasional dashes of humour that had me laughing out loud. The book is also a gorgeous object on its own (I highly recommend picking this one up in hardcover), with lovely high quality paper and, as evidenced from the annotations on the cover, it also highlights the technical terms for the content in a fun way. Solidly recommended if you enjoy the subject.

If you have any interest in books as books, i.e. as a physical object, then The Book is the book for you. Weaving together the histories of paper, writing, illustration, printing, and book binding Houston delivers an epic tale that explains the cultures, individuals, and occasional humorous incidents that lead to the development of the object that changed the world. He also manages to use The Book itself as a practical exhibit in describing the technical aspects of how a book is made and why its design has remained essentially unchanged for millennia. An essential read for any bibliophile.

I judged this book by its cover. That is, I bought it because of its cover. The large explanatory brackets illustrating parts of the book: "title"; "head"; "fore-edge"; "hinge"; et cetera. This continues inside the book as well. There are numerous illustrations, most of them in color, which is rare for most books. It is put together well, it is pretty.

It is also breezingly written. It is fun, it is interesting. The history of paper, scrolls, codices, printing, ink, movable type, and so forth. If you enjoy the history of the book, this book will not disappoint.

There are citations, which is nice. Almost everything is sourced to secondary sources, though many of them are to web site URLs, which is a bit odd. In a book about the history show more and importance of books. One thing bugged me, at the end. "...Secretary of State Herbert Hoover's personal letter paper..." (p. 327). Herbert Hoover was never Secretary of State. In 1921, he was newly appointed Secretary of Commerce. If such a minor, but glaring, error can creep into Houston's text, it makes me wonder and doubt many of the facts that preceded the error. Oops. show less