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The Book on the Bookshelf
- Author
- Henry Petroski
- Narrator
- John Lescault
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 17 October 2023
- Run Time
- 8 hours 47 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
From the author of the highly praised The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things comes another captivating history of the seemingly mundane: the book and its storage.
Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn’t. As a result, readers are guided along the astonishing evolution from papyrus scrolls boxed at Alexandria to upright books shelved at the Library of Congress.
Petroski takes us into the pre-Gutenberg world, when books were so scarce they were chained to lecterns for security. He explains how the printing press not only changed the way books were made and shelved but also increased their availability and transformed book readers into book owners and collectors.
In delightful digressions, Petroski lets Seneca have his say on “the evils of book collecting;” examines the famed collection of Samuel Pepys and his only three thousand titles—old discarded to make room for new; and discusses bookselling, book buying, and book collecting through the centuries.
This is the ultimate book on the book: how it came to be and how we have come to keep it.
Critics Review
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“A fascinating history of two related common objects, impeccably documented.”
Civilization
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“For anyone interested in the craft of reading, [this book] is a compulsive necessity.”
New York Times Book Review
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“After reading this book, you will not look at a book or a bookshelf in the same way.”
Seattle Times
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“Petroski includes delightful glimpses of noteworthy book collectors of the past and how they organized their books. Well written…this book is not just for bibliophiles. Highly recommended.”
Library Journal
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“Admirers of Petroski’s earlier works will not be surprised by his exquisite research, or by the gusto with which he plunges into the dustiest of library bins.”
Publishers Weekly
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- Henry Petroski
- Narrator
- John Lescault
- Duration
- 8 hours 47 minutes
- Release Date
- 17 October 2023
- ISBN
- 9798212172509
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Social and cultural history, Library and information services, History of engineering and technology
Synopsis
From the author of the highly praised The Pencil and The Evolution of Useful Things comes another captivating history of the seemingly mundane: the book and its storage.Most of us take for granted that our books are vertical on our shelves with the spines facing out, but Henry Petroski, inveterately curious engineer, didn’t. As a result, readers are guided along the astonishing evolution from papyrus scrolls boxed at Alexandria to upright books shelved at the Library of Congress. Petroski takes us into the pre-Gutenberg world, when books were so scarce they were chained to lecterns for security. He explains how the printing press not only changed the way books were made and shelved but also increased their availability and transformed book readers into book owners and collectors.In delightful digressions, Petroski lets Seneca have his say on “the evils of book collecting;” examines the famed collection of Samuel Pepys and his only three thousand titles—old discarded to make room for new; and discusses bookselling, book buying, and book collecting through the centuries.This is the ultimate book on the book: how it came to be and how we have come to keep it.
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