Overview

The bestselling phenomenon - a 6,000-year adventure through the history of books and reading A FINANCIAL TIMES, ECONOMIST AND MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Outstanding, universal and unique' NEW YORK TIMES 'A literary phenomenon.' TLS 'Masterly.' ECONOMIST 'Mindboggling' TELEGRAPH Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of the earth to bring them back. In Papyrus, celebrated classicist Irene Vallejo traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. This is the story of the book's journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. And it is a story full of heroic adventures, bloodshed and megalomania - from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the palaces of Cleopatra to the libraries of war-torn Sarajevo and Oxford. An international bestseller, Papyrus brings the ancient world to life and celebrates the enduring power of the written word.

Full Product Details

9781529343960

Table of Contents

Reviews

A literary phenomenon . . . didactic and daring . . . elegant and richly digressive. * Times Literary Supplement * 'A very free and very wise and very digressive journey through the world of the book from the creation of the Library of Alexandria to the fall of the Roman Empire; Irene Vallejo has delivered an outstanding, universal and unique book.' -- Jordi Carrion * The New York Times * 'One can be a masterful philologist and at the same time write like the angels. Irene Vallejo flips communication upside down until she turns her dialogue with the reader into a true literary feast.' -- Luis Alberto de Cuenca * ABC * 'Irene Vallejo has written an incredible, universal, and unique book which will no doubt become a classic.' -- Juan Bolea * El Periodico de Aragon * 'It's a joy to read Irene Vallejo's prose, she is such a brilliant creator and full of sensitivity.' -- Luis Landero

Author Information

Irene Vallejo earned her European Doctorate from the Universities of Zaragoza and Florence. Papyrus was awarded the National Essay Prize, the Critical Eye Prize for Narrative and the Bookstore Recommendation Award, and will be published in more than forty countries. She is a regular columnist for El Pais, and is the author of two children's books, two novels, and three collections of essays, articles, and short fiction.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available