The History of Writing

From cave paintings to copperplate, the story of writing is the story of civilization itself.

The History of Writing traces the evolution of writing from the first recorded laws to the digital languages powering today’s computers, exploring and explaining the ways in which the written word has shaped cultures, driven scientific progress, and held societies together.

Discover how the earliest scripts developed into modern alphabets through Sumerian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, Indus Valley seals, and Chinese oracle bones. Learn about different writing systems – from the Mayan glyphs and the Cherokee syllabary to the still-undeciphered Easter Island Rongorongo script. And marvel at some of the world’s most important and beautiful manuscripts, inscriptions, and artefacts along the way.

Produced in collaboration with an expert team of specialist authors and consultants, The History of Writing is much more than just a celebration of writing in all its many forms. It is a window into the beliefs and everyday lives of people through the centuries, and a must-have for anyone fascinated by language, culture, and history.