A History of Reading: Amazon.ca: Books

Inside This Book (Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index

Tag this product

Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.

Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

Share your thoughts with other customers:

Create your own review

Most helpful customer reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Magpie's Nest of Bookish Treats, May 19 2001

By

bibliomane01 - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Reading (Paperback)

"A History of Reading" is an eclectic collection of essays on books, bibliophiles, bibliophobes, bibliokleptomanes, printing, translation, censorship, reading glasses and the Heian period in Japan. A browser's delight, it can also be devoured in a single sitting (guilty). From reading aloud to reading silently and from the physical pleasures of a book's shape, binding and smell to the less corporeal qualities of books that prompted Pinochet's Chile to ban "Don Quixote" as subversive, Alberto Manguel's bibiomanic panorama is a thoroughly enjoyable celebration of one of life's greatest pleasures. In it, the reader will encounter Callimachus of Cyrene, who worked in the "vanished library" of Alexandria and laid the foundations for what we know today as the library catalogue; compare and contrast the difffering approaches to public readings of Charles Dickens and Pliny the Younger; and decide once and for all whether it is preferable to read lying down or at a desk. Tolle, lege!

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars Well-crafted study, April 3 2010

By

L. Roussel (Qu�bec) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: A History Of Reading (Paperback)

The title says a lot about this book : A History of Reading... not The History of Reading. One little word, one big difference. It can only be a disapointment if you're searching for a study that says "everything" there is to know about books.

Manguel is a talented storyteller who doesn't try to "make a point" or the share the "truth", but simply someone who shares his passion.

So, if you're looking for something dry and tasteless, don't buy A History of Reading.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

5.0 out of 5 stars You are sure to learn something, Dec 4 2001

By

Megami (Darwin, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A History of Reading (Paperback)

Manguel has done a wonderful job of capturing the many fascinating aspects of reading from the neurological (just what is reading, what our eyes and brains do), to the evolution of reading out loud to 'silent' reading, to the history of some of the great collections of the world, and much, much more. This really is a great book, that I would recommend to anyone who loves to read, as you are sure to find something of interested, and undoubtedly something you did not know previously. The title is a *little* misleading, in that it is not a straight chronological historical study. My only quibble would be that the approach at times can be a little too scatter-gun, but perhaps that is part of the charm - it is like a fascinating rambling conversation about every bibliophiles favourite topic.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews

Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Report abuse

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review

› See all 12 customer reviews on Amazon.ca

Want to see more reviews on this item?

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 33 reviews 4.2 out of 5 stars

Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars make "time" to read this book.
Any lover of books and reading will love the time spent here in these pages. "Time" is often the reason many people give for NOT reading. Read more

Published on Jan 25 2001 by Cipriano

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting subject, interesting facts, but bad writing
The title, the subject matter, the presentation of the book - nearly everything about it is intriguing, which is of course why people buy the book. Read more

Published on Dec 3 2000 by Muehlheim Martin