The Story of Writing and Printing (Signs of the Times)

Presents an overview, from ancient times to the present, of the evolution of writing including the development of alphabets, writing instruments, inks and papers, and printing methods.

Grade 3-6. These "Eyewitness" look-alikes include clear, full-color and black-and-white photographs and reproductions scattered on fairly full pages. Numbers is primarily a history of mathematical discoveries up through early calculators, and computers are mentioned in the last paragraph. Writing begins with a history of alphabets and writing systems, follows through with the invention and evolution of printing technologies, and touches on the development of libraries. In both books, snippets of information are presented either as picture captions, sound-bite type paragraphs, or under "In Fact...," "Signpost," and "Breakthrough" headings. None of the coverage is in-depth, but browsers can learn something with a minimum of effort. However, there is not enough detail for reports, and the scattershot presentation makes it difficult to pull different facts together. Acceptable introductions.?JoAnn Rees, Sunnyvale Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Anyone who has ever reveled in drawing with Magic Markers or has cherished a particular pen should enjoy this quick and upbeat introduction to the history of written text by Ganeri (Bizarre Beasts, p. 1532, etc.). Spreads incorporate full-color photographs, drawings, and hieroglyphs with concise stand-alone paragraphs on specific subjects. Readers learn how language was first set down in ancient Sumeria about 5,500 years ago to keep track of financial accounts, of Egypt's reverence for court scribes (who could be summarily jailed for typographical errors), and of the giant technological step forward with Gutenberg's creation of movable type. Briskly but without oversimplification, Ganeri covers alphabets, the rise of newspapers, and the development of writing technology, from quills to fountain pens to IBM's first word processor in 1964. A parade of unusual details and inventions-- e.g., Edison's electric pen--keeps the work amusing and accessible. In the Signs of the Times series, this is an engaging look at a revolutionary process that continues to unfold. (chronology, glossary, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.