The Book (MIT Press Essential Knowledge series) Kindle Edition

A book for all book lovers. Traces the history of the book from clay tablets to the digital age! The middle portion is devoted to artistic uses of the book form as a basis for creativity. The latter part is devoted to the digital forms books have taken and their possible future.The language is clear and a glossary at the back re-inforces the many words related to books and publishing you will learn reading this book. Recto, verso, marginalia and many, many more. I learned more new words from this book than any I've read in a long, long time.Recommended with no reservations!

I am a book artist, so of course I wanted to read this book. However, whether you study the history and making of books, or are just curious about humanity's cultural evolution, of the evolution of books, this book will satisfy. Perhaps because they are ubiquitous, it is easy to forget how paper and books have affected our cultural evolution. If any of you have read "On Paper" by Nicholas Basbanes, this is in a way similar, as it discusses how the book evolved in response to humans and vice-versa. The book is well written, in no way ponderous or affected, and thorough. I was deeply delighted to find it was (finally) printed, and my expectations were met and more.

Ogni libro è un uomo, ogni uomo è un libro. Impossibile immaginare la Biblioteca dell'Universo. Dovrebbe contenere i libri di tutti i trapassati, i passati, i presenti ed i futuri. Nemmeno Babele potrebbe contenerli.

Well-written intro to history of the book. Perfect for students (especially first chapter) and those interested in the book object.

A nice piece to get acquainted with the history and evolution of the book as an interface and concept. It felt a little bit superfluous at points whilst at others it has very interesting information. It was not in my opinion as fascinating as I was hoping for. A good read nonetheless that I would recommend in any case.