The Book

A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time

By: Keith Houston

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Paperback | 19 June 2025 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
448 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
2.11 x 1.4 x 0.3

Paperback

RRP $42.95

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We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? In The Book, Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In an invitingly tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today. Sure to delight book lovers of all stripes with its lush, full-color illustrations, The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity's most important and universal information technology.

About the Author

Keith Houston is the author of Face with Tears of Joy, Empire of the Sum, Shady Characters, and The Book. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Financial Times , and on Mental Floss, BBC Culture, and Literary Hub. He lives in Linlithgow, Scotland.

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