Papyrus

This is a book about books, and as a lover of books, I loved it!

A history of the book may sound like a dry topic, but this was anything but dry. It is most beautifully written, and the style transported me to so many places throughout recorded history, as well as to my own childhood and my relationship with the printed word.

In addition to illuminating the catalytic role this humble invention played in shaping human civilization, it also highlights its far-reaching implications for today’s and tomorrow’s society. From dictators to revolutionaries and from book bans to copyright laws,… show more.

Papyrus is half history of the written word, half personal memoir. But it shines in its description of the early days of books, libraries, and organized information.

Vallejo talks about how Alexandria was a hotbed of innovation as the Ptolemy Greek rulers sought to burnish their image as Macedonian brutes by building the world’s greatest temple of knowledge- The Alexandria Library. Vallejo says that libraries are meant to “bridge the gaps in the archipelago of knowledge.”

Her description of Alexandria as a frontier town reminds me of the current crop of characters pioneering Web3.