Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Quick and Easy Sign Up!

It takes less then 1 minute to sign up, then you can enjoy Unlimited eBooks.

Sign Up Browse

Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

  • Download on iOS
  • Download on Android
  • Download on iOS

The Book on the Bookshelf

Henry Petroski
3.74/5 (1302 ratings)
Read Now Download Now
"A fascinating history of two related common objects, impeccably documented and beautifully illustrated." —Civilization

Henry Petroski, "the poet laureate of technology" and author of the highly acclaimed The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things now sets his sights on perhaps the greatest technological advances of the last two thousand years: the making and storing of books—from papyrus scrolls to precious medieval codices to the book as we know it, from the great library at Alexandria to monastic cells to the Library of Congress.

As writing advanced, and with it broader literacy, the development of the book was seemingly inevitable. And as books became more common, the question of where and how to store them became more pertinent. But how did we come from continuous sheets rolled on spools to the ubiquitous portable item you are holding in your hand? And how did books come to be restored and displayed vertically and spine out on shelves? Henry Petroski answers these and virtually every other question we might have about books as he contemplates the history of the book on bookshelf with his inimitable subtle analysis and intriguing detail.

"After reading this book, you will not look at a book or a bookshelf in the same way." —The Seattle Times
Format:
Pages:
pages
Publication:
Publisher:
Vintage Books
Edition:
Language:
eng
ISBN10:
0375706399
ISBN13:
9780375706394
kindle Asin:
B004CFAWRA

The Book on the Bookshelf

Henry Petroski
3.74/5 (1302 ratings)
Read Download
"A fascinating history of two related common objects, impeccably documented and beautifully illustrated." —Civilization

Henry Petroski, "the poet laureate of technology" and author of the highly acclaimed The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things now sets his sights on perhaps the greatest technological advances of the last two thousand years: the making and storing of books—from papyrus scrolls to precious medieval codices to the book as we know it, from the great library at Alexandria to monastic cells to the Library of Congress.

As writing advanced, and with it broader literacy, the development of the book was seemingly inevitable. And as books became more common, the question of where and how to store them became more pertinent. But how did we come from continuous sheets rolled on spools to the ubiquitous portable item you are holding in your hand? And how did books come to be restored and displayed vertically and spine out on shelves? Henry Petroski answers these and virtually every other question we might have about books as he contemplates the history of the book on bookshelf with his inimitable subtle analysis and intriguing detail.

"After reading this book, you will not look at a book or a bookshelf in the same way." —The Seattle Times
Format:
Pages:
pages
Publication:
Publisher:
Vintage Books
Edition:
Language:
eng
ISBN10:
0375706399
ISBN13:
9780375706394
kindle Asin:
B004CFAWRA

More Books

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century

Kim Fu

The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore

Evan Friss

A Gentle Madness: Bibliophiles, Bibliomanes, and the Eternal Passion for Books

Nicholas A. Basbanes

Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things

William McDonough

Fluke: Chance, Chaos, and Why Everything We Do Matters

Brian Klaas

The Best American Science And Nature Writing 2018

Sam Kean

The Biggest Ideas in the Universe: Space, Time, and Motion

Sean Carroll

Meetings with Remarkable Manuscripts

Christopher de Hamel

I Am Legend and Other Stories

Richard Matheson

Why I Write

George Orwell

Patience and Fortitude: Wherein a Colorful Cast of Determined Book Collectors, Dealers, and Librarians Go About the Quixotic Task of Preserving a Legacy

Nicholas A. Basbanes

Sing Like Fish: How Sound Rules Life Under Water

Amorina Kingdon