Palimpsest: A History of the Written Word

by Matthew Battles

Book Overview

Why does writing exist? What does it mean to those who write? Born from the interplay of natural and cultural history, the seemingly magical act of writing has continually expanded our consciousness. Portrayed in mythology as either a gift from heroes or a curse from the gods, it has been used as both an instrument of power and a channel of the divine; a means of social bonding and of individual self-definition. Now, as the revolution once wrought...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393058859
• ISBN13: 9780393058857
• Release Date: July 2015
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.2" x 9.3"