Irene Vallejo is a passionate reader and enthusiastic book lover. In "Papyrus", she spans a colorful and exciting arc over the history of the text, the alphabet and, of course, the book, from papyrus to e-book.
For the classical philologist, her book focuses on antiquity, starting with the scrolls of the unique Library of Alexandria, but also going back to the times without writing, when singers conveyed the texts. She likes to draw surprising parallels - for example, when she links Alexander the Great with characters from Tolkien - and makes amusing turns through a world history full of idiosyncratic characters. Entertaining but well-founded, the Spaniard offers an equally amusing and instructive read, in which the eponymous writing material and its successor, paper, are not neglected. Diogenes Verlag's usual careful and loving design, including the chapbook and ribbon marker, fits in perfectly and enhances the reading pleasure.
Irene Vallejo: Papyrus. The history of the world in books. Diogenes Verlag, hardcover cloth, 752 pages. ISBN 978-3-257-07198-6. € 28,-
