books
writing and script a very short introduction
writing is the defining marker of civilization without which there could be no records no history no books no accumulation of knowledge . but when did this essential part of our lives begin why do we all write differently and how did writing evolve into what we use today all of these questions are answered in this very short introduction . andrew robinson tells the fascinating story of the history of writing shedding light on its development and examining the enormous variety of writing and scripts we use today . starting with the origins of writing five thousand years ago with cuneiform and egyptian hieroglyphs robinson explains how these early forms developed into hundreds of scripts including the roman alphabet and chinese characters . he reveals how the modern writing symbols and abbreviations we take for granted today including airport signage and text messaging resemble ancient ones much more closely than we might think . the book also includes a chronology of events from 3300 bc to ad 2000 a list of titles for further reading and an index .
paperback oxford university press usa 2009 isbn13 9780199567782 isbn10 0199567786
abridged n isbn 13 9780199567782 number in series 1 number of pages 157 publisher oxford univ pr release date 62135769600000 series title very short introductions