For more than two and a half thousand years, the book, in a wide range of forms, has been used to document, to educate and to entertain.

The eminent authority Martyn Lyons charts the worldwide evolution of the book through the centuries, from the cuneiform tablets of ancient Sumer through the development of moveable type and the emergence of the modern information revolution. Among the carefully selected illustrations in this tome are Mayan codices, Egyptian papyrus scrolls, medieval illuminated manuscripts, masterpieces of early printing from Gutenberg and Aldus Manutius, atlases from the great age of travel and exploration, primers and children's books, dime novels and Japanese manga, and works of fiction ranging from Don Quixote to Level 26, the world's first 'digi-novel', and beyond.

At a time when daily headlines widely predict the death of the printed book, this volume celebrates the book's enduring power and magic, whatever its future form may be.