Papyrus

The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

By: Irene Vallejo, Charlotte Whittle - translator

Narrated by: Sophie Roberts

Length: 17 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A rich exploration of the importance of books and libraries in the ancient world that highlights how humanity’s obsession with the printed word has echoed throughout the ages • “Accessible and entertaining.”—The Wall Street Journal

Long before books were mass-produced, scrolls hand copied on reeds pulled from the Nile were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and Pharaohs were so determined to possess them that they dispatched emissaries to the edges of earth to bring them back. When Mark Antony wanted to impress Cleopatra, he knew that gold and priceless jewels would mean nothing to her. So, what did her give her? Books for her library—two hundred thousand, in fact. The long and eventful history of the written word shows that books have always been and will always be a precious—and precarious—vehicle for civilization.

Papyrus is the story of the book’s journey from oral tradition to scrolls to codices, and how that transition laid the very foundation of Western culture. Award-winning author Irene Vallejo evokes the great mosaic of literature in the ancient world from Greece’s itinerant bards to Rome’s multimillionaire philosophers, from opportunistic forgers to cruel teachers, erudite librarians to defiant women, all the while illuminating how ancient ideas about education, censorship, authority, and identity still resonate today. Crucially, Vallejo also draws connections to our own time, from the library in war-torn Sarajevo to Oxford’s underground labyrinth, underscoring how words have persisted as our most valuable creations.

Through nimble interpretations of the classics, playful and moving anecdotes about her own encounters with the written word, and fascinating stories from history, Vallejo weaves a marvelous tapestry of Western culture’s foundations and identifies the humanist values that helped make us who we are today. At its heart a spirited love letter to language itself, Papyrus takes listeners on a journey across the centuries to discover how a simple reed grown along the banks of the Nile would give birth to a rich and cherished culture.

©2022 Irene Vallejo (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

A Times (UK) Book of the Year • An Economist Best Book on Culture and Ideas

“Irene Vallejo has a writer's passion for books and a classicist's fascination with the way they came to be. She is also imaginative, lively and contemporary. In her hands written texts are not only a sensual pleasure, but living and frequently disruptive. . . . Ms Vallejo has a notable talent for evoking ancient scenes. Her description, for example, of the poet Martial returning to Spain from Rome, near the end of the book, is masterly.”―Economist

“A generous, sprawling work. . . . As much as a history of books, Papyrus is also a history of reading. . . . Include[s] harrowing accounts of how survivors in the gulag and the concentration camps learned to write whole books in their heads, priming themselves for the moment when they would have access to writing materials to tell their stories. . . . Exquisite. . . . Beautifully translated into English by Charlotte Whittle, who is able to convey both Vallejo’s passionate narrative presence and her synthesising intelligence.”—The Guardian

“Evocative. . . . On one level, Papyrus is the story of the invention of books . . . but on another, it is a memoir, a love song, a confessional and a manifesto. Vallejo fuses these strands seamlessly and polishes the surface until it shines. . . . Papyrus has been a surprise bestseller. It’s easy to see why: Vallejo is a novelist and she has a storyteller’s ability to animate her subjects. . . . Impressively rip-roaring. . . . She draws a six-thousand-year line from the clay tablets of Mesopotamia to the e-reader tablets of today and leaves her readers inspired, invigorated and sincerely grateful for the invention of the book.”—Telegraph (UK)

Egotistical author sabotages great work

The editor was AWOL!! Cut the book by half without losing anything but the author's love of her own prolixity. Also -- clearly a classicist, but all references to Judaism and Jewish books were superficial, condescending, or plain ignorant. Took us four road trips to finish -- too hard to listen for long periods, wading through floods of repetitive prose to reach the islands of terrific content and insight.

Incredible research

I wish I could remember even a fraction of the vast amount of information covered in this book. It’s a fabulous ride through the history of literacy. There are two main ideas I will remember from this book. The first is that respect and the sacredness of the written word ebbs and flows throughout history and reflects the beliefs and politics of the era. The second is that books have come in all kinds of forms. This is especially relevant with books now being available on a screen and in audio form. Makes one wonder what defines a book.

Someday I’ll listen to this book again. It’s such a grand exploration with wonderful nuggets of knowledge along the way.

A bridge between the past and future

If you are curious how it all started this is a must listen. I learned so so much, while also feeling connected to sll that came before and that will become after me.

History of books!

I burn through books and this was great! Read well and very interesting info that covers a large portion of history.

An enlightened and charming read

The narrator’s voice and contagious sincerity . Thoroughly researched enlightened and fascinating. Lots of new insights.

How Could I Ever Finish It?

This book pithily captures the essence of the Western canon. Plus, it beats having to read the whole Western canon.

I was constantly going back to the beginning (of the book or a particular chapter) to catch again the subtle nuances and implications. Outside of the Bible and other select works, I rate this book among the greatest of all time with its combination of brilliant canon insights (dozens and dozens) and scintillating personal metaphors illuminating said canon. Unsurprisingly, the book has been published in about 30 countries. The editors know its brilliance even if the general reading public does yet not. If there's any justice in the world (and there's not much), this will be the book to teach the Western canon.

I finally finished it, but you've never finished this book. Here I go again.

Simply terrific.

This is a wonderful book. Simply could not recommend it more highly. Excellent in every way.

Great read

Beautiful writing. You can read a few short chapters at a time. Here and there when you need a shot of good writing.

A Little Spacey

I loved the information in this book. the anecdotes that the author describes came from years of research and a true passion for the topic. my only complaint is that the content occasionally feels scattered and disjointed.

Quite boring!

I disliked the repetitive information. Every chapter is mostly a recapitulacion of the last one, with little new information.