Papyrus

The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

By: Irene Vallejo, Charlotte Whittle - translator

Narrated by: Sophie Roberts

A "masterly" (Economist), prize-winning, internationally bestselling history of books in the ancient world

"Exquisite. . . . Beautifully translated into English by Charlotte Whittle, who is able to convey both Vallejo’s passionate narrative presence and her synthesising intelligence.” —The Guardian

Long before books were mass-produced, hand-copied scrolls made from Nile River reeds were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and pharaohs, determined to possess them, dispatched emissaries to the edges of the known world to bring them back. Exploring the deep and fascinating history of the written word, from the oral tradition to scrolls to codices, internationally bestselling author Irene Vallejo shows that books have always been a precious and precarious vehicle for civilization.

Through fascinating stories from history, insightful readings of the classics, and poignant personal reflection, Vallejo traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. At its heart a spirited love letter to language itself, Papyrus takes readers on a journey across the centuries to discover how a simple reed grown along the banks of the Nile would give birth to a rich and cherished culture.

Needs an editor!

This very long book has all kinds of interesting material, not all of it is focused around the subject of books. We hear about story telling and the importance of remembering history. We see how knowledge has been used to gain power and how power has been used to silence those who protest. There is a lot about how gender has restricted the opportunities for women over millennium and how women fought back.

But there are also a tremendous number of personal anecdotes that are irrelevant, self serving or downright puzzling. If 30% of the material in this book was cut and it were reorganized, it could be much more coherent. As it stands, the ricocheting from one subject to another, from one time to another and from one place to another make it read like a jumbled up collection of short essays.

Ms. Vallejo clearly knows her subject and is probably a fascinating person to talk with, but the presentation in this book makes it hard to get your hands around. I actually listened to it twice, thinking I may have been distracted or not in the right frame of mind the first time. It was just as scatter shot the second time through.

A couple of things that really bothered me (not necessarily related to the above)
* There are hundreds, if not thousands, of references to authors and their works. Most of them are fine and in probably the majority, she links the author and the work together. But in a subset of the cases, she refers to very obscure authors or book completely out of context ("just as we see in Joe Blow's work" or "I am reminded of The Book"). Is it pretension or is it that she is so obsessed with the subject, she is unable to comprehend that a casual reader will not be familiar with the minutia of the subject?
* She displays an odd angle on reality sometimes. In one chapter, she bemoans that she is not allow to remove materials from the Bodleian Library for review at her leisure. A couple of chapters later, she sighs with regret at the careless way rare materials have been handled over time. In discussing illiteracy, she seems to think the most difficult issues people face are finding a street address or ordering from a menu. Really? Has she never been to a country where the alphabet is not her own - my experience is with Greece and rural Japan and I never had an issue asking for help from a passerby or a waiter. What about not being able to read a letter from your bank (or government) or reading to your children or helping them with schoolwork? What about the instructions to operate a new appliance or a new recipe? So much of life is closed to those who can not read - walking around town and eating in a restaurant are not part of that dark space.

The narrator was not my favorite, but I am giving her the benefit of the doubt because of the material she was reading.

Great view into ancient history

Beautifully written dive into the history of libraries and the ancient world that first created and valued them.

A dream work for book lovers

Absolutely fascinating reflections on the history of how books were created, circulated, destroyed, and preserved against the odds. These chapters are interspersed with reflections on the pleasures and conundrums of reading, as well as some of the author's memories and feelings about books and reading. The translation is superb, and the narrator brilliantly imbues the essays with passion and precision. Highly recommended for all bibliophiles.

Egotistical author sabotages great work

The editor was AWOL!! Cut the book by half without losing anything but the author's love of her own prolixity. Also -- clearly a classicist, but all references to Judaism and Jewish books were superficial, condescending, or plain ignorant. Took us four road trips to finish -- too hard to listen for long periods, wading through floods of repetitive prose to reach the islands of terrific content and insight.

Incredible research

I wish I could remember even a fraction of the vast amount of information covered in this book. It’s a fabulous ride through the history of literacy. There are two main ideas I will remember from this book. The first is that respect and the sacredness of the written word ebbs and flows throughout history and reflects the beliefs and politics of the era. The second is that books have come in all kinds of forms. This is especially relevant with books now being available on a screen and in audio form. Makes one wonder what defines a book.

Someday I’ll listen to this book again. It’s such a grand exploration with wonderful nuggets of knowledge along the way.