文字と記述は私たちの文明を特徴づける指標です。記述の方法がなければ、知識を蓄積するのは困難であり、今頃歴史も本も、Eメールも存在し得なかったでしょう。人間はいつから「書く」という行為を始めたのでしょうか。世界中の文字が異なるのはなぜでしょうか。本書は5000年に及ぶ記述の歴史を振り返りながら、その真髄に迫ります。
  

• An appetizing first taste of the subject of writing and languages
• Explains the origins of writing and how it developed, along with how it has been used over five millennia
• Focuses on specific examples including the Roman alphabet and Chinese characters

  
Without writing, there would be no records, no history, no books, and no emails. Writing is an integral and essential part of our lives; but when did it start? Why do we all write differently and how did writing develop into what we use today?
  
All of these questions are answered in this Very Short Introduction. Starting with the origins of writing five thousand years ago, with cuneiform and Egyptian hieroglyphs, Andrew Robinson explains how these early forms of writing developed into hundreds of scripts including the Roman alphabet and the Chinese characters. 
  
He reveals how the modern writing symbols and abbreviations we take for granted today - including airport signage and text messaging - resemble ancient ones much more closely than we might think.