![Hello, Future! [Please be kind.] Hardcover Journal](https://hachette.imgix.net/books/9781546015079.jpg?w=210&h=280&fit=crop)
Imprint
- Hodder Paperbacks
Papyrus: THE MILLION-COPY GLOBAL BESTSELLER
Irene Vallejo
Formats & Editions
The bestselling phenomenon - a 6,000-year adventure through the history of books and reading
A FINANCIAL TIMES, ECONOMIST AND MAIL ON SUNDAY BOOK OF THE YEAR
SHORTLISTED FOR THE BRITISH ACADEMY BOOK PRIZE 2023
'Outstanding, universal and unique' NEW YORK TIMES
'A literary phenomenon.' TLS
'Masterly.' ECONOMIST
'Mindboggling' TELEGRAPH
Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of the earth to bring them back.
In Papyrus, celebrated classicist Irene Vallejo traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. This is the story of the book's journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. And it is a story full of heroic adventures, bloodshed and megalomania - from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the palaces of Cleopatra to the libraries of war-torn Sarajevo and Oxford.
An international bestseller, Papyrus brings the ancient world to life and celebrates the enduring power of the written word.
Read More
Praise for Papyrus: THE MILLION-COPY GLOBAL BESTSELLER
-
An outstanding, universal and unique book. - The New York TimesOne can be a masterful philologist and at the same time write like the angels... a true literary feast. - ABCAn incredible, universal, and unique book which will no doubt become a classic. - El Periodico de AragonIt's a joy to read Irene Vallejo's prose, she is such a brilliant creator and full of sensitivity.'[A] masterpiece . . . I am absolutely sure that it will continue to be read when its readers today are already in the afterlife.' A fascinating and profound, yet delightfully personal take on books in the ancient world, with many illuminating insights into more modern literature and life. - Paul Strathern, author of Ten Cities that Led the World'In this fabulous, anecdote-filled history, award-winning Spanish writer Vallejo charts the fates and fortunes of books and libraries in the ancient world, from the battlefields of Alexander the Great and the eruptions of Mount Vesuvius to Cleopatra's palaces and the scenes of Hypatia's murder. As well as chronicling the thrills and spills of literary culture, she celebrates those whose heroic efforts ensured the continuity of the written word. A long-time Spanish bestseller, Papyrus has won numerous prizes and is set to be published around the world.' - The Bookseller, November Non-Fiction Editor s Choice'A literary phenomenon . . . didactic and daring . . . elegant and richly digressive.' - Times Literary Supplement
Find a book you'll love, get our newsletter
© Hachette Aotearoa | New Zealand, All Rights Reserved · Site by Chook