Overview

How the alphabet shaped the western world The idea behind the alphabet - that language with all its wealth of meaning can be recorded with a few meaningless signs - is an extraordinary one. So extraordinary, in fact, that it has occurred only once in human history- in Egypt about 4000 years ago. Alpha Beta follows the emergence of the western alphabet as it evolved into its present form, contributing vital elements to our sense of identity along the way. The Israelites used it to define their God, the Greeks to capture their myths, the Romans to display their power. And today, it seems on the verge of yet another expansion through the internet. Tracking the alphabet as it leaps from culture to culture, John Man weaves discoveries, mysteries and controversies into a story of fundamental historical significance.

Full Product Details

9780553819656

Table of Contents

Reviews

Crisp, taut, and as clear as a bell ... a fascinating story with many a beguiling subplot along the way. New Scientist The story of how [the alphabet] came into being is a fascinating one and Man is the ideal writer to tell it. His scholarship seems boundless... he also has a journalist's ear for a story... straight out of Indiana Jones Times Educational Supplement Absorbing tale ... many surprises on the way. Sunday Telegraph A scholarly and fascinating history of the alphabet, from hieroglyphics to letters, and its dissemination from culture to culture and from past to present The Times

The alphabet's worldwide diffusion can be compared to Charles Darwin's theory of evolution, John Man proposes in his narrative search for Alphabeticus Originalis. <br> Sweeping from one ancient culture to another, Man unearths archaeological finds, debates biblical myths and provides scientific evidence to support his theory of the alphabet's germination and development. <br> Using a highly accessible format sharper than the dull edge of the usual historical text, Alpha Beta traces its subject on a historical journey around the Mediterranean. Beginning with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and cuneiform, Man, a historian and travel writer, follows the evolution of letters from one great civilization to another. <br> Paying his respects to the early development of script in China and an especially practical Korean alphabet, Man drives into Sinai in his four-wheel drive to begin his study of the Israelites. <br> What emerges in the Sinai wilderness--or the metaphorical wilderness--is a blueprint for group survival unprecedented in history. <br> The blueprint, Man explains, was based on monotheism and fixed commandments. And it worked because the laws were written in a simple script that did not require excessive knowledge: an alphabet. <br> In the Phoenicians, Man finds another people to support his hypothesis. <br> These port peoples needed a good writing system if only to keep trade records. ... They were ripe for the alphabet, knowledge of which was slowly filtering outwards from its southern Palestine dispersal centre. <br> Similarly, the alphabet arrived in Greece and attached itself to a society at a crucial stage in its evolution--a youngish culture ... with no apparentloyalty to an established writing system. <br> Quickly moving along the Mediterranean, a land that must have seemed ripe for the plucking is encountered. But before discussing the true founders of Rome, Man devotes several pages to the outrageous exploits of Thomas Dempster, a forgotten 17th-century Etruscan scholar and hooligan. <br> While some of the details about Dempster are amusing, they provide one of several examples of extraneous material in an otherwise concise and effective approach to such an overwhelming idea. <br> Moving on to the Etruscan alphabet, Man picks up the pace and explains the possibility of a Phoenician or Greek influence. While many mysteries remain about the Etruscans' origins and their alphabet, their influence on a much better-known people and alphabet is hard to ignore. <br> Debunking the popular myth of Romulus as Rome's founder, Man points to archaeological research for an account of Rome's origins that dignifies not the Romans but the Etruscans. <br> After tracing the expansion of the Roman language, Man reaches his limit with the introduction of Cyrillic and travels at breakneck speed to the present. From one chapter to the next, he goes from the Etruscans to the Soviets. <br> Alpha Beta should appeal to anyone with even a mild interest in ancient civilization and an affinity for language. <br> (Associated Press, BOOKS September 10, 2001) <br> Using a highly accessible format sharper than the dull edge of the usually historical text, Alpha Beta traces its subject on a historical journey around the Mediterranean. Beginning with ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and cuneiform, Man, a historian and travel writer, follows the evolution of lettersfrom one great civilization to another.Alpha Beta should appeal to anyone with even a mild interest in ancient civilization and an affinity with language. (Associated Press)

Crisp, taut, and as clear as a bell ... a fascinating story with many a beguiling subplot along the way. * New Scientist * The story of how [the alphabet] came into being is a fascinating one and Man is the ideal writer to tell it. His scholarship seems boundless... he also has a journalist's ear for a story... straight out of Indiana Jones * Times Educational Supplement * Absorbing tale ... many surprises on the way. * Sunday Telegraph * A scholarly and fascinating history of the alphabet, from hieroglyphics to letters, and its dissemination from culture to culture and from past to present * The Times *

Author Information

John Man is an historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia and China. His books include The Great Wall,The Terracotta Army,The Gutenberg Revolution, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, and Attila the Hun.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available