Paper
Paging Through History

I'm very into microhistories – books focused on a specific topic or single event – and Kurlansky is one of the best known authors of them, with his book Salt probably the best-known microhistory of them all. In this book, he takes on paper, which he defines very narrowly: "a very thin layer of rando......more

I had very high hopes for Paper, but Kurlansky's book never fulfilled them. The book could never make up its mind whether it was about the manufacturing of paper or what paper is used for. Kurlansky fashions himself an expert on the history of technology, but seems to sell Asia short. This is the sec......more

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley. Some may consider it ironic that one would read a book about paper on an eBook reader. And it would probably be better not to, as studies tend to indicate that reading from a paper book results in more retention of information. But nev......more

This book was a real eye-opener. I didn't know that something as simple as paper could have such a long and fascinating history. The author traces the production of paper from ancient times to modern times. I was captivated by this book and a little disappointed it went so fast. Good books are like......more