Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World
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- Create Date：2022-10-31 17:21:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Irene Vallejo
- ISBN：0593318897
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Summary
An enthralling journey through the history of books and libraries in the ancient world and those who have helped preserve their rich literary traditions
Long before books were mass-produced， those made of reeds from along the Nile were worth fighting and dying for。 Journeying along the battlefields of Alexander the Great， beneath the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius， at Cleopatra's palaces and the scene of Hypatia's murder， award-winning author Irene Vallejo chronicles the excitement of literary culture in the ancient world， and the heroic efforts that ensured this extraordinary tradition would continue。 Weaved throughout are fascinating stories about the spies， scribes， illuminators， librarians， booksellers， authors， and statesmen whose rich and sometimes complicated engagement with the written word bears remarkable similarities to the world today: Aristophanes and the censorship of the humorists， Sappho and the empowerment of women's voices， Seneca and the problem of a post-truth world。 Vallejo takes us to mountainous landscapes and the roaring sea， to the capitals where culture flourished and the furthest reaches where knowledge found refuge in chaotic times。 In this sweeping tour of the history of books， the wonder of the ancient world comes alive and， along the way， we discover the singular power of the written word。
Long before books were mass-produced， those made of reeds from along the Nile were worth fighting and dying for。 Journeying along the battlefields of Alexander the Great， beneath the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius， at Cleopatra's palaces and the scene of Hypatia's murder， award-winning author Irene Vallejo chronicles the excitement of literary culture in the ancient world， and the heroic efforts that ensured this extraordinary tradition would continue。 Weaved throughout are fascinating stories about the spies， scribes， illuminators， librarians， booksellers， authors， and statesmen whose rich and sometimes complicated engagement with the written word bears remarkable similarities to the world today: Aristophanes and the censorship of the humorists， Sappho and the empowerment of women's voices， Seneca and the problem of a post-truth world。 Vallejo takes us to mountainous landscapes and the roaring sea， to the capitals where culture flourished and the furthest reaches where knowledge found refuge in chaotic times。 In this sweeping tour of the history of books， the wonder of the ancient world comes alive and， along the way， we discover the singular power of the written word。
Reviews
Gonzalo Ruiz
，
Este libro es un maravilloso viaje hacia el origen de los libros y la lectura， desde el papiro （extraído del junco）， las tablillas hasta el pergamino。 Con una prosa ágil e informal， Vallejo nos muestra como la historia y sus personales （en particular， en Grecia y Roma） han influido en las historias （y los clásicos） que hoy conocemos。
Daniel Kukwa
，
There is a great deal here I enjoyed。。。but it's such a rambling， unfocused， memoir-ish tale。 It could certainly be far more focused， as it touches on almost every aspect of books -- reading， writing， paper and its predecessors。 But after a while it feels like it goes on and on。。。and it really needs a sharper， more brutal editor。 A book I really like， but I wish I loved。 There is a great deal here I enjoyed。。。but it's such a rambling， unfocused， memoir-ish tale。 It could certainly be far more focused， as it touches on almost every aspect of books -- reading， writing， paper and its predecessors。 But after a while it feels like it goes on and on。。。and it really needs a sharper， more brutal editor。 A book I really like， but I wish I loved。 。。。more
kurt mutter
，
Este libro habla sobre el amor a otros libros， y sobre esos desconocidos héroes que han hecho posible que tan hermosos relatos， ensayos， novelas， cuentos， etc lleguen a nuestras manosSúper recomendado， hay que volver a releerlo definitivamente
Ros M。
，
Cuesta leerlo por su longitud， pero es muy bueno。 He aprendido muchísimas cosas sobre los libros。 Lo recomiendo encarecidamente
Book Club of One
，
"In different eras， we have experimented with books of smoke， of stone， of earth， of leaves， of reeds， of silk， of animal skin， of rags， of trees， and now， of light—the computers and ebooks of today。。。They have taken many shapes， but what’s indisputable is the overwhelming success of their discovery。" （Part II， Chapter 48）。 Irene Vallejo's Papyrus* is a lively， detailed， tangent filled exploration of the book in ancient Greek and Rome。 A full history of stories and literature from oral tradition "In different eras， we have experimented with books of smoke， of stone， of earth， of leaves， of reeds， of silk， of animal skin， of rags， of trees， and now， of light—the computers and ebooks of today。。。They have taken many shapes， but what’s indisputable is the overwhelming success of their discovery。" （Part II， Chapter 48）。 Irene Vallejo's Papyrus* is a lively， detailed， tangent filled exploration of the book in ancient Greek and Rome。 A full history of stories and literature from oral tradition to our modern methods of reading。 The work is divided into two roughly equal portions to each ancient civilization， with both their antecedents and descendants。 Vallejo details the different authors， readers and organizations devoted to sharing and preserving their work。 We also have the chance to see the development of writing from cuneiform， to scroll to our present book。 The latter with all it's useful features such as title page， index， chapters， or even simple page numbers。 Vallejo also details the contemporary cultures and the ways texts were read， discussed， criticized， censored or destroyed。 While overall arranged chronologically， some chapters serve as interludes， linking more modern events， writers， or other content to their historic ancestors。 Vallejo also reflects on her personal experience， memories of being read to as a child， visiting bookstores and libraries with her parents， or the way she used to think of books。 A wonderful work that celebrates the importance of books。 Especially， their importance as diffusers of knowledge， showing humanity our successes and failures。 *Translated from Spanish to English by Charlotte Whittle。 I received a free digital version of this book via NetGalley thanks to the publisher。 。。。more
Angélica Valdés
，
Un ensayo y como tal un recorrido por la historia de la humanidad donde el poder de la escritura inicia con papiros y pergaminos en la Biblioteca de Alejandría hasta los tiempos actuales。 La autora brinda datos y reflexiones interesantes alrededor de la evolución de la escritura， la palabra， los libros l， la poesía y la narrativa junto con sus géneros literarios。 Ideal para los amantes de la literatura pero sobre todo de la historia。 Es un ensayo no una novela ¡ojo！
Coloccio
，
Se trae cositas majas。 Es bonito ver cómo no hemos inventado nada en el presente。
Argel Landeros
，
Esperaba muchísimo más de parte de una filóloga clásica， repetitivo， redundante sobre todo en la primera parte。 La segunda es mejor en general。 Sin embargo agradezco las recomendaciones literarias y cinematográficas…
Helen Geng
，
Actually 2&1/2NYPL book Read October 2022
Arturo
，
Una delicia de libro de inicio a fin。 Aunque a veces lo sentí redundante， y que tocaba los mismos temas una y otra vez， sin duda ha sido una de mis mejores lecturas。 Quedo agradecido con su autora por regalarnos esta aventura
Alicia Cayuela
，
Este libro es espectacular！ Barra de manera muy suave el relato de la historia de los libros。 Es destacar su pluma para exaltar clásicos de la literatura y el papel tan de las mujeres en la historia de la literatura。 Es un 10/10
Pablo Reyes
，
¡Qué joya de libro！"El infinito en un junco" llegó para quedarse como una referencia a la preservación de la cultura， a la ampliación del conocimiento， al reconocimiento de la "abundancia de las bondades invisibles"。Aquí algunas frases del libro que dejan huella:"Debemos a los libros la supervivencia de las mejores ideas fabricadas por la especie humana"。"Los libros nos convierten en herederos de todos los relatos: los mejores， los peores， los ambiguos， los problemáticos， los de doble filo。 Disp ¡Qué joya de libro！"El infinito en un junco" llegó para quedarse como una referencia a la preservación de la cultura， a la ampliación del conocimiento， al reconocimiento de la "abundancia de las bondades invisibles"。Aquí algunas frases del libro que dejan huella:"Debemos a los libros la supervivencia de las mejores ideas fabricadas por la especie humana"。"Los libros nos convierten en herederos de todos los relatos: los mejores， los peores， los ambiguos， los problemáticos， los de doble filo。 Disponer de todos ellos es bueno para pensar， y permite elegir"。Solo me queda decirle a la autora Irene Vallejo: gracias por escribirlo。 。。。more
Mari
，
Um livro sobre a história dos livros。 Narra factos históricos misturados com histórias autobiográficas da autora mas sempre seguindo um fio condutor。 A certa altura começa a tornar-se aborrecido mas cumpre o propósito。 Gostei e recomendo。
Legatus
，
Fragmentado y continuo como la historia。 He disfrutado cada ventana a la historia maravillosamente narrada por Irene。 Lo mejor que he leído sin duda este año y el tiempo no dudara en conservar esta obra como un clásico。
Koprophagus
，
This is not a real review， just some thoughts I like to write down。Das ist keine richtige Bewertung， nur ein paar Gedanken， die ich aufschreiben wollte。 Eigentlich kann ich hier direkt die eine Buchkritik zitieren， mit der ich vollends einverstanden bin: "Eine Ode ans Buch， geschrieben von einer leidenschafltichen Leserin。" Viele verschiedene Themen zum Buch werden miteinander verknüpft。 Von der ersten Schrift， dem Alphabet， den ersten Bibliotheken bis hin zum Buchdruck， den Zensuren， wer wie le This is not a real review， just some thoughts I like to write down。Das ist keine richtige Bewertung， nur ein paar Gedanken， die ich aufschreiben wollte。 Eigentlich kann ich hier direkt die eine Buchkritik zitieren， mit der ich vollends einverstanden bin: "Eine Ode ans Buch， geschrieben von einer leidenschafltichen Leserin。" Viele verschiedene Themen zum Buch werden miteinander verknüpft。 Von der ersten Schrift， dem Alphabet， den ersten Bibliotheken bis hin zum Buchdruck， den Zensuren， wer wie lesen durfte und Bücherverbrennungen der Neuzeit。 All das ist voll mit Querverweisen， Vergleichen und ausgeschmückt mit ein paar persönlichen Anektoten。 Manche Dinge wiederholen sich teilweise， aber das ist durch die Menge an verschiedenen Themen kaum vermeidbar。 。。。more
Marlie Verheggen
，
Een bijzondere vertelling van boeken aan de hand van geschiedenis en hoe ze invloed op geschiedenis hebben gehad en omgekeerd。 Het was interessant maar nu ook weer niet zo gestructureerd en meeslepend als ik gehoopt had。 Als dat het geval was geweest had ik er geen 7 maanden over gedaan。 Ook werd er veel van de Grieks/Romeinse literatuur aangehaald， en daar heb ik weinig tot geen affiniteit mee， het was met meer referenties naar moderne literatuur voor mij interessanter geweest。 Desalniettemin t Een bijzondere vertelling van boeken aan de hand van geschiedenis en hoe ze invloed op geschiedenis hebben gehad en omgekeerd。 Het was interessant maar nu ook weer niet zo gestructureerd en meeslepend als ik gehoopt had。 Als dat het geval was geweest had ik er geen 7 maanden over gedaan。 Ook werd er veel van de Grieks/Romeinse literatuur aangehaald， en daar heb ik weinig tot geen affiniteit mee， het was met meer referenties naar moderne literatuur voor mij interessanter geweest。 Desalniettemin toch wel wat leestips opgedaan。 。。。more
ΤΑΣΟΣ
，
Εξαιρετική γραφή ！
Francinett Cruz
，
este libro/ensayo es muy bueno。。。pero que pasa y ¿por qué？ no me termino de encantar。。。 vean， no hay una historia como tal y eso es entendible puesto que el libro nace como un ensayo， una tesis o un informe （como gusten decirle） por ese pequeño detalle， a las personas que les encante la literatura de No Ficción puede que les guste， o los que lean en sus ratos libres entrevistas o ensayos de X asunto。yo soy mas de historias que tengan un buen inicio， algo turbio， una trama a desarrollar o una met este libro/ensayo es muy bueno。。。pero que pasa y ¿por qué？ no me termino de encantar。。。 vean， no hay una historia como tal y eso es entendible puesto que el libro nace como un ensayo， una tesis o un informe （como gusten decirle） por ese pequeño detalle， a las personas que les encante la literatura de No Ficción puede que les guste， o los que lean en sus ratos libres entrevistas o ensayos de X asunto。yo soy mas de historias que tengan un buen inicio， algo turbio， una trama a desarrollar o una meta a la cual seguir y en términos de solamente HISTORIA paso！es literal un documental sobre la creación de los libros en formato papel， no digo que no me gusto， me entretuvo y es muy educativo， pero no es de mis lecturas habituales¿lo recomiendo？ claro que sí。 porque el que a mi， no me haya parecido， no significa que los demás lo perciban igual。 。。。more
Vladimr Guzman Paez
，
Maravilloso， leer este libro es un verdadero placer， es de esos que provoca salir a discutirlo con amigos， recomendarlo， regalarlo， robarlo para volverlo a compartir…todo lector debería leer este libro para entender mejor el viaje que las letras tuvieron que hacer desde miles de años atrás hasta nuestros días， desde los tiempos en que la riqueza se medía en rollos escritos en lugar de monedas de oro。 Me voy feliz， dejo esta aventura con la certeza de volverla a leer， ojalá en las tierras donde s Maravilloso， leer este libro es un verdadero placer， es de esos que provoca salir a discutirlo con amigos， recomendarlo， regalarlo， robarlo para volverlo a compartir…todo lector debería leer este libro para entender mejor el viaje que las letras tuvieron que hacer desde miles de años atrás hasta nuestros días， desde los tiempos en que la riqueza se medía en rollos escritos en lugar de monedas de oro。 Me voy feliz， dejo esta aventura con la certeza de volverla a leer， ojalá en las tierras donde se fecundó。 。。。more
Nancy
，
We are the only animals who imagine fables， who scatter darkness with stories， who learn to live with chaos thanks to the tales we tell， who stoke the ember of fires with the air of their words， who travel great distances to carry their chronicles to strangers。 And when we share the same stories， we are no longer strangers anymore。from Papyrus by Irene VallejoWhat a delightful book！ The book is as gorgeous as the writing， so I looked forward to holding it and reading it every night。 It took me o We are the only animals who imagine fables， who scatter darkness with stories， who learn to live with chaos thanks to the tales we tell， who stoke the ember of fires with the air of their words， who travel great distances to carry their chronicles to strangers。 And when we share the same stories， we are no longer strangers anymore。from Papyrus by Irene VallejoWhat a delightful book！ The book is as gorgeous as the writing， so I looked forward to holding it and reading it every night。 It took me on a journey back in time， to the first letters and first writing， to soft clay tablets that could be smoothed over， to the papyrus scrolls that ancient Egypt exported across the known world， to parchment and codices。 What was in those fragile books， how they were preserved or destroyed， sheltered in libraries or lost in war or in conflagrations spurred by anger。 It traces Western heritage from the Greeks， whose culture was adopted by the Romans （who were better at war than philosophy。）This is the serious book lover’s dream of a book， wide ranging across time and topics， but always coming back to the attachment we have to books， their power to reach across time and space。 Librarians are liberal heroes， in the past and today; our own local librarian watches people scan the shelves， bringing their complaints， pressuring the offerings to conform to their truth。 In the ancient world， booksellers were punished for the books they sold。 Books are dangerous things！ They hold ideas and ideals that challenge the status quo。Vallejo begins with a journey， thousands of years ago， when brave men crossed the world and risked everything to bring rare manuscripts back to Ptolemy for his library in Alexandrea。 And she ends with the loss of literacy after the fall of Rome， and their revival with the printing press。 Books no longer had to be hand copied by slaves， distributed to the few。How my mind soared while reading， filled with insight–there is so much packed into this volume！ It’s a book to return to， for the beautiful writing， and the knowledge， the sheer pleasure of reading it。I received a free book from A。 A。 Knopf。 My review is fair and unbiased。Note: I used the quote at the beginning of my review for my Sunday Sentence on Twitter and received 49 likes， 18 retweets， and four retreats with comments！ 。。。more
Edilma Jaramillo
，
Me llegó al alma。 Hermosa obra literaria。
Ricardo Ribeiro
，
O Infinito num Junco olha para a literatura como o Cinema Paraíso olha para o Cinema， com admiração。 É um relato sobre a importância da escrita para a humanidade， partindo do apogeu Grego e depois do Romano para vaguear sobre conquistas e curiosidades （com alguns esporádicos toques pessoais） sobre a escrita e leitura。Quando comecei a ler este livro esperava （não sei porquê） outro tipo de livro。 Retirei-o da colecção do meu pai， sabia que tinha sido de algum modo premiado e/ ou elogiado， e pouco O Infinito num Junco olha para a literatura como o Cinema Paraíso olha para o Cinema， com admiração。 É um relato sobre a importância da escrita para a humanidade， partindo do apogeu Grego e depois do Romano para vaguear sobre conquistas e curiosidades （com alguns esporádicos toques pessoais） sobre a escrita e leitura。Quando comecei a ler este livro esperava （não sei porquê） outro tipo de livro。 Retirei-o da colecção do meu pai， sabia que tinha sido de algum modo premiado e/ ou elogiado， e pouco mais。 Mal comecei vi que seria um livro histórico， não era bem o que me apetecia。 Depois quando vi que a escrita me empolgava， ainda resisti a dizer que gostava， nunca li neste género algo que achasse uma obra-prima。 Com o decorrer do livro e a fluidez do prazer que me ia proporcionando， lá me rendi。Esta viagem pelos livros， pelos lugares e tempo é a merecida homenagem à liberdade que os livros nos proporcionaram e continuam a proporcionar。 。。。more
Sergio Martín
，
Hermoso libro， enlaza la historia de la escritura y la lectura con las antiguas civilizaciones europeas y mediterráneas La autora tiene un don para la prosa。 Algunos capítulos decaen y parecen escritos para hacer bulto。 También parecen algo forzadas algunas referencias ideológicas cómo si se quisiera quedar bien con todas las sensibilidades de lo políticamente correcto。
Helen - Great Reads & Tea Leaves
，
‘The papyrus scroll represented an extraordinary amount of progress。 After centuries of searching for the right format， of humans writing on stone， mud， wood， or metal， language had finally found its home in organic matter。 The first book in history was born when words - as ethereal as air - found refuge in the pith of an aquatic plant。’What’s not to love when you come across a rare and fascinating book about books。 Where the love for the written word is poured into every page。 Papyrus is such a ‘The papyrus scroll represented an extraordinary amount of progress。 After centuries of searching for the right format， of humans writing on stone， mud， wood， or metal， language had finally found its home in organic matter。 The first book in history was born when words - as ethereal as air - found refuge in the pith of an aquatic plant。’What’s not to love when you come across a rare and fascinating book about books。 Where the love for the written word is poured into every page。 Papyrus is such a book that will take readers on a special journey。 Author Irene Vallejo’s ode to books/reading and her knowledge of literature， particularly with regards to history of the written word， is wonderfully written。 A definite must-read for anyone who loves books。‘I suspect that as they searched for traces of every book as if they were pieces of scattered treasure， without knowing it， they were laying the foundations of our world。’Irene has done her research and provides a smorgasbord of goodness。 Readers will learn a little of the history of how books started and complemented with facts， philosophy， thoughts and ideas。 It is a wonderful reference that will see you coming back time and again。 A plethora of anecdotes and personal notes from the author surrounding the emergence of books - precious moments from the history of literature。 ‘This account is an attempt to continue the adventure of those book hunters。 I would like somehow， to be their unlikely travel companion， on the scent of lost manuscripts， unknown stories， and voices in danger of being silenced。’This is neither a complete academic essay or personal reflection but the successful melding of the two。 I thoroughly enjoyed Irene’s writing and thought the weaving of both fiction and nonfiction was well done。 The history of papyrus and books is reflected on through personal retellings that results in a rich tapestry for book lovers to delight in。 ‘Let's talk about you for a moment， the person reading these lines。 Right now， with the book open in your hands， you are engaged in a mysterious， unsettling activity， though habit prevents you from being amazed。 Think carefully。 You are completely quiet， eyes moving over rows of letters made into meaning， that deliver ideas independent from the world now surrounding you。 In other words， you have withdrawn to an inner chamber where absent voices speak; where there are ghosts only you can see …。 and where the pace of time's passage is the measure of your level of interest or boredom。 You have created a parallel world …。 a world that depends on you alone。 At any moment， you can avert your gaze from these lines and return to the action and movement of the outside world。 But in the meantime， you remain on the edge， in the place where you've chosen to be。 There is an almost magical aura to the act of reading。’If you delight in books and reading， you are in for a treat。 Looking to learn a little more of the evolution of ancient literature， this proves a most accessible read。 It does not adopt a linear approach， or have pages filled with high end vocabulary。 What it does offer is an entertaining history of books with interesting back stories and reflections。 From the first attempts on clay tablets， to papyrus， to paper books， to ebooks， Irene has written a tale of past， present and future that I highly recommend to lovers of literature。 ‘I'm so amazed by the true and recorded history I discover that it seeps into my dreams and acquires， without my volition， the shape of a story。 I'm tempted to step into the skin of those who traveled the roads of an ancient， violent， tumultuous Europe in pursuit of books。’This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own。 The quoted material may have changed in the final release。 。。。more
Marlene Barboza
，
Un libro realmente genial ！！ Lleno de historias，cultura y magia！！ Gracias Mariana por recomendarlo
Elena
，
A veces se me ha hecho un poco pesado por la cantidad de datos que hay， pero me ha encantado en general。 La prosa de Irene es maravillosa， cómo está narrado es lo que de verdad consigue que no despegues la vista de las páginas。 Y， para todas aquellas personas a las que le guste leer —si estás aquí será por eso— es un regalo poder conocer la historia de la invención de los libros de forma tan detallada。
Concha Jiménez
，
Muy interesante pero le he quitado una estrella porque hay muchas repeticiones de un capítulo al otro
Yarmenta Balogun
，
An amazing journey through the books' history。 An amazing journey through the books' history。 。。。more
Rebecca Hill
，
This was an amazing read！ I enjoyed learning about the history of books， and the stories of those who were woven throughout the pages。Exciting and a fun read！
Carol CC
，