The Story Of Writing: Alphabets, Hieroglyphs And Pictograms

Description

Writing is one of humanity's greatest inventions. Without it there would be no history and no civilization as we know it. But how, when and where did writing evolve? In a succinct, absorbing and well-illustrated text, Andrew Robinson discusses the history of decipherment and then each of the major writing systems in turn, from cuneiform and Egyptian and Mayan hieroglyphs to alphabets and the scripts of China and Japan. An invaluable guide to the world's major writing systems, "The Story of Writing" is a book to read for both pleasure and enlightenment.

Reviews

"The most accessible and informative book available on the major writing systems of the world."

Author description

Andrew Robinson is the Literary Editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement. He is the author of numerous books, including The Man Who Deciphered Linear B and Earthshock, both published by Thames & Hudson.

Table of contents

I. How Writing Works; 1. Reading the Rosetta Stone; 2. Sound, Symbol and Script; 3. Proto-Writing; II. Extinct Writing; 4. Cuneiform; 5. Egyptian Hieroglyphs; 6. Linear B; 7 Mayan Glyphs; 8. Undeciphered Scripts; III. Living Writing; 9. The First Alphabet; 10. New Alphabets from Old; 11. Chinese Writing; 12. Japanese Writing; 13. From Hieroglyphs to Alphabets - and Back?; Postscript in the New Millennium.