Scribes, Script and Books

Avrin, Leila

ISBN 10: 071230245X / ISBN 13: 9780712302456

Published by The British Library Publishing Division, London, 1991

About this Item

Dust jacket complete. Illustrated cloth covered board with bright gilt titling on spine and upper cover. No ownership inscription. 300 Photographs. xxxii, 356 pages clean and tight. Why did the Early Christians abandon the scroll for the codex book? What was the first punctuation mark? Why did Near Eastern society respect plagiarists? What exactly is micrography? How is parchment made? These are just a few of the questions that Dr Avrin, a well-known lecturer on the subject, sets out to answer in this encyclopaedic and extremely readable history of the handmade book from the earliest times up to the birth of printing. The scope is very wide; after chapters on the origins of the book, the history of writing, the book in the ancient world, the development of scripts and styles of illumination, and the making of manuscripts through the centuries, the author goes on to deal with the cultural traditions of Hebrew and Islamic bookmaking, and the techniques of bookbinding and papermaking, giving detailed practical explanations of all the technological processes involved. A very full bibliography completes the work. The book is profusely illustrated throughout, with over 300 photographs gathered from libraries and museums worldwide, and many specially commissioned diagrams, maps and tables. Size: 4to.

Seller Inventory # 124441

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Scribes, Script and Books
• Publisher: The British Library Publishing Division, London
• Publication Date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 071230245X
• ISBN 13: 9780712302456
• Binding: Hard Cover
• Illustrator: 300 Photographs
• Edition: First Edition.
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good
• Seller catalogs:
  • PRINTING & BOOKS

About this title

Synopsis

First edition. A fascinating book which covers origins of the book, the history of writing, the book in the ancient world, the developement of scripts and styles of illumination, paper, and the cultural traditions of Islamic and Hebrew bookmaking. Illustrated. xxxii, 356, 2 pages. cloth.. 4to..