Alpha Beta : How 26 Letters Shaped the Western World

by Man, John

• ISBN13: 9780471415749
• ISBN10: 047141574X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-07-13
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Praise for Alpha Beta "This book comes at the perfect moment?as we rediscover the importance in early reading of ?cracking the alphabetic code.? The story of how that code came into being is a fascinating one, and Man is the ideal writer to tell it." ?Times Educational Supplement"A richly absorbing exploration, from B.C. to PCs, of the evolution of the most fundamental ?characters? of our cultural history, the alphabet we so much take for granted. John Man writes with a compellingly restless curiosity and immediacy. The ever surprising, exotically detailed narrative in his informative book makes it as undryly enjoyable as a successful archaelogical dig of one of Alan Moorehead?s colorful histories of African exploration." ?David Grambs, author of The Describer?s Dictionary and The Endangered English Dictionary"Text that is crisp, taut, and as clear as a bell.... A fascinating story with many a beguiling subplot along the way." ?New Scientist"Letter perfect?the best histories and mysteries of our ABC?s!" ?Jeff McQuain, author of Never Enough Words and Power Language

Author Biography

JOHN MAN is a historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia. His most recent books are Gobi: Tracking the Desert and The Atlas of the Year 1000. He also wrote The Waorani: Jungle Nomads of Ecuador and The Atlas of D-Day. He lives with his wife and family in London.

Table of Contents

Foreword	1	(4)
Introduction: Of Giants and Genius	5	(12)
The Trouble with Pictures	17	(16)
The Bearable Burden of Syllables	33	(34)
Letters in the Wilderness	67	(24)
The Search for the Perfect Alphabet	91	(28)
Into Sinai	119	(36)
The Land of Purple	155	(30)
The Selfish Alphabet	185	(10)
The Great Leap Forward	195	(42)
Why We Don't Write Etruscan	237	(28)
The Limits to Growth	265	(20)
Appendix 1	285	(4)
Appendix 2	289	(8)
Bibliography	297	(6)
Acknowledgements	303	(2)
Index	305