Table of Contents

Introduction - why do we write?; The Sumerians and cuneiform; The Egyptians and hieroglyphs; The first alphabet: the Phoenicians and the Greeks; The Romans; Monks and manuscripts; The invention of printing; Beautiful writing; Chinese characters; What next?; Map and Timeline; Glossary; Further reading and Index.

About the Author

Carol Donoughue is the author of The Mystery of the Hieroglyphs: Egyptian hieroglyphs and how they were deciphered (BMP 1999). She is an ex-head teacher, inspector of schools, and producer of schools television programmes.