A wealth of beautiful illustrations and a thorough and scholarly, if concise, text combine to make this a book that will be appreciated by laypeople and specialists alike. The story takes us from the Middle East to China to pre-Columbian America, and from the dawn of recorded history to the present day, with sidelights on the position of the scribe in society, writing and women, writing as an art form, and the future of data banks. Scholars will want more detail, but this book is an excellent survey, and a bibliography suggests further readings. The author is deputy keeper of the Department of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books at the British Library. Many, though not all, of the illustrations are of manuscripts and other exhibits at the British Library or the British Museum. Recommended for most libraries. Catherine von Schon, SUNY Stony Brook
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.