Everybody who has ever read a book will benefit from the way Keith Houston explores the most powerful object of our time.--Erik Spiekermann, typographer
If you love books, love the feel of a book in your hands, the heft and smell, the swish of a turned page and the satisfying thump of the cover...have I got the book for you.--Bill Marvel "Dallas Morning News"
Mr. Houston savors evocative detail...As befits its subject, The Book is pleasingly designed--with an offbeat self-consciousness about its sturdy appearance--and Mr. Houston's unapologetic nerdiness is matched by a jaunty style....Mr. Houston is an eager, affable guide, and his detailed history is a welcome reminder that this 'unrepentantly analog contraption' is one of the truly great pieces of technology.--Henry Hitchings "Wall Street Journal"
A love letter to the physical book, this is a fascinating and erudite telling of how it came into being.... [H]ugely enlightening.--Tory Lyne-Pirkis "Yorkshire Post"
A lovingly designed and illustrated deep history of the book.--John Williams "New York Times Book Review"
Erudite, playful, and illuminating.... Houston is both witty and intensely detailed, thus appealing both to general readers and to bibliophiles who will wish to know the specifics of making papyrus, of stitching together pages, and of learning how we arrived at today's paper sizes.... A splendid, challenging mixture of information and fun.--Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Houston's fixation with this object is a delight, and his understanding of how history is written and his clear delineation between speculation and established fact are very refreshing.--Publishers Weekly, starred review
Hundreds of books about books have been published during the past century.... I will not claim that this one is the very best of all time. Yet The Book is possibly the best of our time.--Steven Heller "Eye"
Keith Houston's deft history of the object wraps entire civilizations into the telling, propelling us through the evolution of writing, printing, binding and illustration with gusto.--Barbara Kiser, books and arts editor of Nature
Savor this deeply researched love letter to every bibliophile's favorite thing.... [A] scholarly and light-hearted review of everything you want to know on the origins of the written language, the media upon which it is captured, and its methods of illustration, reproduction, and distribution.--Jennifer Bort Yacovissi "Washington Independent Review of Books"
Splendidly comprehensive and tactile.--Russell Leadbetter "Herald"
This engaging volume should satisfy a wide cross-section of book lovers, history buffs, and those interested in the dynamic relationship among language, the written word, and human ingenuity.-- "Library Journal"
This witty and mischievous tome traces the evolution from papyrus to paperback in 448 pages. It's an optimistic ode to one of mankind's greatest inventions, which continues to thrive even against the onslaught of e-readers.-- "Monocle"
We bibliomaniacs have a soulmate in Keith Houston.... [R]iveting.--Alan Taylor "Scottish Review of Books"
Invitingly tactile...Sure to delight book lovers of all stripes with its lush, full-color illustrations, The Book gives us the momentous and surprising history behind humanity's most important--and universal--information technology.-- "Book Reporter"