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Press Enter to Continue: Scribes from Babylon to Silicon
“I’m a handmaiden of technology who began to have doubts." And so the author dives into the history of professional scribes, looking for people like herself who documented the world around them.
Fans of Bill Bryson will enjoy this funny and informative book as they gain a fresh perspective on the present – as well as the past. And just who are our barbarians? Could they be the ones bringing us more technology?
Fans of Bill Bryson will enjoy this funny and informative book as they gain a fresh perspective on the present – as well as the past. And just who are our barbarians? Could they be the ones bringing us more technology?
- GenresHistoryNonfiction
197 pages, Paperback
Published November 30, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 1, 2020
A fascinating book written by a woman my age, who became involved in information technology at the same time I did, but who stayed in the industry.
She traces the art from the very beginning of recorded history to the present. You cannot helpful learn things you didn't know you wanted to know. Super cool.
And now I know why my leaving the field when I did to raise my kids was exactly the right time to get completely left behind.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
She traces the art from the very beginning of recorded history to the present. You cannot helpful learn things you didn't know you wanted to know. Super cool.
And now I know why my leaving the field when I did to raise my kids was exactly the right time to get completely left behind.
I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.
March 24, 2019
Delighted and surprised by chunks of history delivered in digestible pieces, peppered with sassy humour and flavoured with insights from lived experiences. Everything I needed to know about the development of the western world as seen through the eyes of scribes. We can laugh at ourselves and shake our heads in amazement. Francuz opens the door to the future with optimism.
March 30, 2019
Interesting read
April 23, 2019
Loved this book
I will admit I am a history geek, but I like to know the little details of everyday life. I am less interested in who won the battle and more interested in what did they wear underneath their armor? What did they eat? Where did they sleep? Etc. This book delves into the people who write things down for a living, going back to the Babylonians and cuneiform writing. Along our journey, from that time to the present, the author interjects comments about how something from hundreds of years ago is similar to today, or a job she had. Some people might not like these comments but I so enjoyed them,. I felt they gave us more insight into the author, but also showed that although much time has passed and technology has changed, in many ways we are the same.
I was recommending this book to friends and family before I had finished reading it. I was actually sad when this book had ended, it has been like a really good conversation with a super interesting friend., and I just didnt want it to stop. I can't remember feeling like that about a history book before.
I will admit I am a history geek, but I like to know the little details of everyday life. I am less interested in who won the battle and more interested in what did they wear underneath their armor? What did they eat? Where did they sleep? Etc. This book delves into the people who write things down for a living, going back to the Babylonians and cuneiform writing. Along our journey, from that time to the present, the author interjects comments about how something from hundreds of years ago is similar to today, or a job she had. Some people might not like these comments but I so enjoyed them,. I felt they gave us more insight into the author, but also showed that although much time has passed and technology has changed, in many ways we are the same.
I was recommending this book to friends and family before I had finished reading it. I was actually sad when this book had ended, it has been like a really good conversation with a super interesting friend., and I just didnt want it to stop. I can't remember feeling like that about a history book before.
July 26, 2026
I didn’t quite know what to expect when I opened Joan Francuz’s book, Press Enter to Continue: Scribes from Babylon to Silicon (1920 House Press, 2018). It seemed like it might be a good choice to review for International Literacy Day, which is today, with this year’s theme being “promoting literacy in the digital era.” When I ordered it, I wondered if it might be a history of writers or maybe a history of writing tools.
I was right and wrong on both counts. As the blurb on the back of the book says, “Trace the history of our digital age through the words of the people who described things—the scribes and technical writers of their time,” an appropriate description for what turns out to be “a work memoir of someone who survived the gig economy by working as a scribe.”
Neither the title nor the blurb really do the book justice. It’s actually a short history of the world, at least since the first writing on stone tablets, told with wit and humour. Here's an excerpt:
"In the hierarchy that runs up from data to information to knowledge and wisdom, data is something simple like “8”; information is the number of people invited to dinner; knowledge is making the dessert the day before the party; and wisdom is not discussing a spouse’s online shopping habits just before the guests arrive.
"While the ancients seemed to spend their time on the higher order questions of wisdom and knowledge, and sought answers to questions like what made for a good life, the scientists of the Enlightenment discovered knowledge and information about our physical world. In our modern age, we seem to have moved further down to the data and information end of the hierarchy.
"Think of a selfie that arrives on your device. Why is your friend standing in front of that building? Is this a reminder that you had plans for dinner—and you’re late? Is it a holiday photo? Are you meant to comment on their new hair or clothing? Was the photo sent to you by mistake? Is that really your friend in the photo?
"This is a modern example of data without information."
To read the rest of the review, go to my book blog (reviewing Canadian creative nonfiction) at https://lynnemelcombe.com/2025/09/08/....
I was right and wrong on both counts. As the blurb on the back of the book says, “Trace the history of our digital age through the words of the people who described things—the scribes and technical writers of their time,” an appropriate description for what turns out to be “a work memoir of someone who survived the gig economy by working as a scribe.”
Neither the title nor the blurb really do the book justice. It’s actually a short history of the world, at least since the first writing on stone tablets, told with wit and humour. Here's an excerpt:
"In the hierarchy that runs up from data to information to knowledge and wisdom, data is something simple like “8”; information is the number of people invited to dinner; knowledge is making the dessert the day before the party; and wisdom is not discussing a spouse’s online shopping habits just before the guests arrive.
"While the ancients seemed to spend their time on the higher order questions of wisdom and knowledge, and sought answers to questions like what made for a good life, the scientists of the Enlightenment discovered knowledge and information about our physical world. In our modern age, we seem to have moved further down to the data and information end of the hierarchy.
"Think of a selfie that arrives on your device. Why is your friend standing in front of that building? Is this a reminder that you had plans for dinner—and you’re late? Is it a holiday photo? Are you meant to comment on their new hair or clothing? Was the photo sent to you by mistake? Is that really your friend in the photo?
"This is a modern example of data without information."
To read the rest of the review, go to my book blog (reviewing Canadian creative nonfiction) at https://lynnemelcombe.com/2025/09/08/....
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews