基本説明
In a world of rapid technological advancement, it is easy to forget that writing is the original Information Technology, created to transcend the limitations of human memory and to defy time and space. The Writing Revolution describes how this communication tool has conquered the world, making possible everything from complex bureaucracy, literature, and science, to instruction manuals and love letters.
Full Description
In a world of rapid technological advancements, it can be easy to forget that writing is the original Information Technology, created to transcend the limitations of human memory and to defy time and space. The Writing Revolution picks apart the development of this communication tool to show how it has conquered the world.
Explores how writing has liberated the world, making possible everything from complex bureaucracy, literature, and science, to instruction manuals and love letters
Draws on an engaging range of examples, from the first cuneiform clay tablet, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and Japanese syllabaries, to the printing press and the text messaging
Weaves together ideas from a number of fields, including history, cultural studies and archaeology, as well as linguistics and literature, to create an interdisciplinary volume
Traces the origins of each of the world's major written traditions, along with their applications, adaptations, and cultural influences
Contents
List of Illustrations vii Preface xi
1 The First IT Revolution 1
2 Cuneiform: Forgotten Legacy of a Forgotten People 13
3 Egyptian Hieroglyphs and the Quest for Eternity 33
4 Chinese: A Love of Paperwork 56
5 Maya Glyphs: Calendars of Kings 79
6 Linear B: The Clerks of Agamemnon 95
7 Japanese: Three Scripts are Better than One 113
8 Cherokee: Sequoyah Reverse-Engineers 133
9 The Semitic Alphabet: Egypt to Manchuria in 3,400 Years 143
10 The Empire of Sanskrit 169
11 King Sejong's One-Man Renaissance 191
12 Greek Serendipity 208
13 The Age of Latin 229
14 The Alphabet Meets the Machine 249
Appendix: Figures A.1-A.7 273
Further Reading 281
Index 297
