From ancient times to the creation of eBooks, books have a long and vast history that spans the globe. Although a book may only seem like a collection of pages with words, they are also an art form that have survived for centuries. In honor of National Library Week, we couldn’t think of a more fitting book to share than The Book: A Global History. The slideshow below highlights the fascinating evolution of the book.
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Origin of the alphabet
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The proto-Sinaitic theory of the origin of the alphabet. Line drawing by Chartwell Illustrators.
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Illustrations of runic stones
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Illustrations of runic stones from the Danish scholar Carl Rafn’s ‘Runic Inscriptions in which the Western Countries are Alluded to’, in Mémoires de la Société Royale des Antiquaires du Nord, 1848–9 (Copenhagen, 1852); the variety of languages is notable. Private collection.
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Composing frame
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A composing frame with two sets of cases of type: the upper case lies at a steeper angle than the lower case. By permission of Oxford University Press.
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Cuneiform signs
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Some cuneiform (wedge-shaped) signs, showing the pictographic form (c .3000 BC ), an early cuneiform representation (c. 2400 BC ), and the late Assyrian form ( c .650 BC ), now turned through 90 degrees, with the meaning. Line drawing by Chartwell Illustrators.
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Modern casebound Book
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Diagram of the structural features of a modern casebound book ready for casing in (adapted from Gaskell, NI ). Line drawing by Chartwell Illustrators.
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East Asian book forms
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Traditional East Asian book forms. A (top): scroll binding: 18 th -century printed Buddhist sutra (Japan). B (2 nd from top): pleated binding, 17 th -century printed Buddhist sutra (Japan). C (3 rd from top left): butterfly binding: 16th -century Buddhist MS (Japan). D (3 rd from top right): butterf19ly binding: contemporary printed book bound in traditional style (China). E (bottom left): wrapped back binding with original printed title label: 17th-century printed book (China). F (bottom centre): thread binding: 18th-century printed book (China). G (bottom right): protective folding case, MS title label: early 20th century (China). © J. S. Edgren
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Medieval European bookbinding
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The basic structural features of a European bookbinding in the medieval and hand press periods. Line drawing by Chartwell Illustrators.
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Pica italic matrices
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A box of John Fell’s pica italic matrices, with some steel punches for larger capitals beneath them. By permission of Oxford University Press
In celebration of National Library Week we’re giving away 10 copies of The Book: A Global History, edited by Michael F. Suarez, S.J. and H.R. Woudhuysen. Learn more and enter for a chance to win.
Michael F. Suarez, S.J. and H. R. Woudhuysen are the authors of The Book: A Global History. Michael F. Suarez S.J. is Professor and Director of the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. H. R. Woudhuysen is Rector of Lincoln College, Oxford.
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We were all very sorry to hear that OUP author and former TLS editor John Gross has died at the age of 75. Judith Luna, Senior Editor, who worked with him for over 25 years on a range of titles, pays tribute to him below.
It was with great sadness that I learnt this morning of the death of John Gross, a wonderful writer and the editor of an astonishing number of classic anthologies, that we were privileged to publish. He had an astonishing knowledge of English literature, from its highest to its lowest reaches, and a wonderful ability to identify the telling passages, the most entertaining extracts, and thus reveal the heart of an author. He also had the rare gift of knowing how to construct an anthology, with imaginative juxtapositions, balancing the brief skit with a longer, more serious piece, and the whole interwoven with his own expert, discreet commentary, that was often as entertaining as the piece itself. A past editor of the Times Literary Supplement, and theatre critic for the Sunday Telegraph, his own editorial and critical skills were second to none.
Over the course of more than 25 years he edited the Oxford Books of Aphorisms, Essays, and Comic Verse; the magnificent New Oxford Book of English Prose, virtually a history of English literature in its own right; After Shakespeare, a superb anthology of writings about and inspired by Shakespeare; and The New Oxford Book of Literary Anecdotes. John was himself a marvellous raconteur, whose anecdotes about literary life were full of mischief and fun. It is somehow fitting that his most recent anthology, The Oxford Book of Parodies, published in 2010, should pay tribute in its own way to the great variety of literary styles from the earliest times to the present, and display a knowledge and affection for literature that epitomized its editor. The critical acclaim that the book has received, and its popular success, are a fitting tribute to a great man of letters. He will be much missed.
