Book

DK Eyewitness Books

by Karen Brookfield

One of a series of reference books which is intended as a reference source on writing. The photographs in this book are based on real-life objects shown in close-up detail, mixed with illustrations and integrated text designed to make them accessible at a glance to young readers.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, Childrens, Picture Books, Juvenile, Science

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1993

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love books about books.

[Brittany · Rating 3 out of 5]

In some ways this is a great book. It does an in depth overview of the history of writing systems, printing presses, handwriting, and typewriters. It has a vast number of illustrations and avoids any long blocks of text.

On the other hand, this is an older book and its age shows. It seems very euro-centric, only mentions women in the context of book binding being "women's work," seems to indicate that people in Asia still primarily write on scrolls and palm leaves rather than in codex books, and has a rather outdated list of non-print materials found in libraries.

[Widgets & · Rating 5 out of 5]

And absolutely fantastic primer on the history of writing, printing and bookmaking. If you have no time to read other books, at least peruse this one. It will give you the basic facts in just under an hour.

Very well done.

[Danielle Woolard · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I learned that the US title is Books, outside the US the book is titled Writing, and I definitely feel like that is a more applicable title to what the book actually is.

But Man, I love Eyewitness Books. And I love books, so I found this particular one very interesting. And it was, so many fun, interesting facts all over this book!

My husband and I read this book together out loud, which helped bring the fun out of the book. And this was the first Eyewitness Book I've read as an adult, and with another person. I loved these books as a kid, I had just as much fun now.

I am kind of annoyed that an entire page is dedicated to Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in the Children's books section - not that I don't love Alice in Wonderland, of course I do - but many other great children's books could have been included as well.

Also, the book was published in 1993 and the year is 2024, so that's as far as the information goes. I would absolutely love a second edition where we can learn about Kindles and other electronic books, audiobooks, Reading Rainbow, comic books, magazines, books on your cellphone, libraries having websites and apps....like so many things have happened in the last 30 years, and I would love to see those included.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book about how books were made and have developed over time. Can't get any better than that, right? While this book series is geared towards children I find that the information in them is valuable to readers of any ages. There's easily a lot of information to learn about printing, writing, and the book-making process but this book does a great job at breaking down the information for readers to understand.

[Wasi Rizvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a breathtakingly beautiful visual journey into the history of books. Anyone into books should run their eyes through this gem very very slowly.

[Anita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Engaging pictures and texts.
The only element lacking is a timeline to provide overview and the complex history of bookmaking.

[τλιϓλ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in Arabic language, it was really a fine book, I enjoy reading it, so many wonderful pictures help my imagination about old ways in writing and the form of early shapes of letters. Written in simple style that draw the attention to continue reading and entering this world as if I about to enter the magical gate of knowledge.

[Little Timmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK I know these are supposed to be kid books but they are awesome! Great pictures and just enough text to make you want to learn more. Great choices for a beginning history reader or to start an older reader out in a new area. Every time I pick one of these up and read it I learn new things. Highly Recommended

[Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think that as juvenile as it is, the book can teach you something if you open your mind to it. I read the book for kicks. I also really LOVE books and I wanted an idea of how they came to be and what the history of books is all about.

[Lynne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very good introduction to the evolution of writing, and the history and evolution of printing and bookbinding. The pictures are clear and well captioned, and it is not condescending. It's classified a children's book, but I thought it quite enjoyable. Takes a little over an hour to read.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice range of visuals about different types of books over time. Fun to look through with my 3 and 5 year olds.