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"He has been called "the poet laureate of technology". Now Henry Petroski turns to the subject of books and bookshelves, and wonders whether it was inevitable that books would come to be arranged vertically as they are today on horizontal shelves. As we learn how the ancient scroll became the codex became the volume we are used to, we explore the ways in which the housing of books evolved. Petroski takes us into the pre-Gutenberg world, where 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. He shows us that for a time books were shelved with their spines in, and it was not until after the arrival of the modern bookcase that the spines faced out."--BOOK JACKET.
"In delightful digressions, Petroski lets Seneca have his say on "the evils of book collecting"; examines the famed collection of Samuel Pepys (only three thousand titles: old discarded to make room for new); and discusses bookselling, book buying, and book collecting through the centuries."--BOOK JACKET.
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Previews available in: English
Showing 3 featured editions. View all 3 editions?
Edition | Availability |
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1
The book on the bookshelf
2000, Vintage Books
in English
- 1st Vintage Books ed.
0375706399 9780375706394
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2
The book on the bookshelf
1999, Alfred A. Knopf, Distributed by Random House
in English
- 1st ed.
0375406492 9780375406492
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3 |
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Book Details
Edition Notes
Includes bibliographical references (p. 269-277) and index.
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- Created April 1, 2008
- 14 revisions
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July 17, 2024 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
November 30, 2020 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
May 20, 2019 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
May 15, 2019 | Edited by MARC Bot | import existing book |
April 1, 2008 | Created by an anonymous user | Imported from Scriblio MARC record |