A Brief History of The Book (in Seven Pictures)

The Book: A Cover-to-Cover Exploration of the Most Powerful Object of Our Time from author Keith Houston explores the history of the book, from the Bible up through illuminated manuscripts, early book-binding, the printing press and beyond.

From parchment and papyrus to paper, from calligraphy to typesetting, enjoy some of the most striking images from Houston’s work, showing how the physical presentation of a large grouping of words has evolved over time.

Jost Amman’s 1568 woodcut depicting a papermaker at work

A leather or parchment scroll containing part of the book of Deuteronomy with the Ten Commandments — one of the earliest ever found

A parchment page of illuminated manuscript from the end of the eleventh century, showing colorful embellisments and “proto-gothic” letters written in iron gall ink.

A 1940 linotype machine from the Mergenthaler Linotype Company

A page from the legendary Book of Kells

Manuscript from the 13th century

An Ethiopian book from the 16th century