In this incredibly engaging narrative, Oxford professor and Shakespeare expert Emma Smith recounts the centuries-old and strikingly interesting history of books, focusing not on the familiar image of “archives of wisdom and knowledge,” but on the material forms in which books appeared and the different purposes they sometimes had to serve.
Presenting a fascinating and radically new history of the book in human hands, the author seeks answers to the questions of when and how it gained power over us. Telling the story of the enormous role that books have played in people’s lives for an entire millennium, Smith makes the surprising discovery that the characteristic and very powerful magic of books is born not only of content, but also of form. From the Diamond Sutra to a book made from slices of cheese wrapped in cellophane, this complex artistic object has for many centuries contained and expanded relationships between readers, countries, ideologies and cultures, and it does so very decisively and unpredictably.
“Any book promises the reader transformation. The expectation of change is part of the invisible contract between books and their readers. In this sense, all books are self-help books. If we don't enjoy or connect with a book, then we're persistently shirking the obligations we owe it.' (Emma Smith)