Posted on 08/09/2024 7:40:24 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
Books are the purest form of escapism. They can take you to any time, place, or culture. In honor of National Book Lovers Day August 9, we put away our smartphones, pull out a good book and simply read. (Well, an audiobook will suffice too.) From clay tablets to today’s eBooks, literature has played a crucial role in preserving cultures, educating the masses, and storytelling. Thanks to Johannes Gutenberg’s 15th-century printing press, anyone, not just royalty, monks or landed gentry, could read and own books. But, alas, there was no overnight shipping. Today, join a book club or re-read a favorite novel because National Book Lovers Day rocks!
History of National Book Lovers Day
Book Lovers Day appreciates the medium that has withstood and preserved its importance in time — literature. Our love for books knows no bounds — someday we’ll write a book on it.
The modern book is made by binding paper, but before the invention of paper, books came in the form of tablets, scrolls, and engravings. Every civilization had its own way to document events. Some time in 3500 B.C., the Mesopotamians would make markings on clay tablets using a pointed device, made from the stem of the reed plant, called the calamus. These writings on the moist clay were called ‘cuneiform.’ Approximately 20,000 of these tablets were discovered in modern-day Iraq.
Paper was invented in China in the 1st century A.D. By experimenting with various materials such as hemp, fishnets, and the mulberry plant, Ts’ai Lun invented the first paper. With time, printing on woodblocks also became the go-to way of reproducing books in China. The ancient scrolls dating back to the 4th century B.C. are considered the first ‘books,’ but by today’s definition, the oldest surviving compiled book is “The Diamond Sutra” which was published in China on May 11, 868.
Hardback books ruled the market at the start of the 20th century, with a certain prestige associated with the hard bindings of books. But from 1937 onwards, paperbacks rose in popularity, paving the way for digests, pulp fiction, and pocket-friendly books.
Advancement in computers and technology led to the digitization of books, with the first book sold in CD format in the 1980s, “The New Grolier Electronic Encyclopedia.”
I adore Michael Chrichton. Gone too soon!
How is it possible that Atlas Shrugged did not make the list?
My problem with The Anarchist Cookbook is that none of the recipes have specific quantities of the ingredients. /rimshot
Because ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is not fiction? ;)
Reading a compendium of short stories from the so-called Golden Age of Sci-fi.
If you can believe it, I just recently ‘discovered’ Isaac Asimov, and while Science Fiction isn’t my first choice, I’ve really enjoyed his books.
They led me to Blake Crouch; his books are real mind-benders. ‘Dark Matter’ ‘Recursion’ and ‘Upgrade’ were fun.
https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/blake-crouch/
Marshall of the Soviet Union G Zhukov Reminiscences and Reflections Vol 1 & 2. Birthday present from my son. History and plenty of stuff to keep him out of the gulag
Thanks - I’m going to give one of those a try.
Just finished reading “Recursion”. In one day. Found it engaging. An original, and very heartfelt, take on the problems of time travel. One could easily see it becoming a movie with the CGI now available.
Reminded me of an Asimov short story “The Dead Past” I read earlier this summer. Time travel becomes ubiquitous, and people end up spying on each other ad infinitum. Akin to the social media fishbowl.
Thanks for the tip.
Oh, I’m SO glad you liked ‘Recursion.’ I couldn’t put it down either, and as I said earlier, SciFi is not even my thing. It would be a good introduction to anyone that wants to try some SciFi.
I liked ‘Recursion’ best, then his last one (so far? ) in that series. ‘Upgrade.’ The middle book didn’t seem as gripping to me, but that was just me! Still, read it and let me know what you think. (Homework assignment, LOL!)
I will check my book of Asimov short stories - ‘The Dead Past’ is probably in there. If not, I’ll find it.
So, thank you back! :)
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