The Alphabet: A Key To The History Of Mankind

By David Diringer and Ellis Minns

Book Overview

The Alphabet: A Key To The History Of Mankind by David Diringer is a comprehensive study of the origins and development of the alphabet. The book delves into the history of writing systems, tracing their evolution from pictographic and ideographic scripts to the development of alphabets. The author explores the impact of the alphabet on human culture and society, examining how it has influenced the development of language, literature, and communication.The book provides a detailed analysis of the different types of alphabets that have emerged throughout history, including the Phoenician, Greek, Latin, and Cyrillic alphabets. It also examines the role of the alphabet in the spread of religion, particularly the impact of the Bible on the development of the written word.Throughout the book, Diringer provides numerous examples of how the alphabet has been used to record and transmit information, from ancient manuscripts to modern printing presses. He also explores the impact of the digital age on the future of the written word and the role of the alphabet in shaping our understanding of the world.Overall, The Alphabet: A Key To The History Of Mankind is a fascinating and informative study of one of the most important inventions in human history. It provides a comprehensive overview of the development of the alphabet and its impact on human culture and society, making it an essential read for anyone interested in the history of writing and communication.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 143257602X
• ISBN13: 9781432576028
• Release Date: March 2007
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 608 Pages
• Weight: 1.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

A classic

I first read this book many years ago, and did not really understand its significance. Recently I heard Professor Daniel Sperber speak about the book. He explains that prior to the invention of the alphabet, writing in pictograms meant learning a very large amount of individual symbols. Thus it was confined to the priestly elite , who controlled the religious and legal knowledge in their societies. The development of the Alphabet , a phonetic system wherein each letter signified a certain sound, and words could be formed through the combination of sounds meant that the process of reading is democratized. Most people can learn the thirty or so letters of the 'alphabet' and thus learn to read. The Alphabet meant a vast spreading of human knowledge, and a democratization of the process of learning. Diringer's pioneering study provides a guide to the systems of writing preceding the creation of the alphabet, and then traces the development of the Alphabet historically. This is a classic work in its field.