Includes bibliographical references (pages 339-405) and index.

A clean sheet: The invention of papyrus -- Hidebound: The grisly invention of parchment -- Pulp fictions: The ambiguous origins of paper in China -- From Silk Road to paper trail: Paper goes global -- Stroke of genius: The arrival of writing -- The prints and the pauper: Johannes Gutenberg and the invention of movable type -- Out of sorts: Typesetting meets the Industrial Revolution -- Saints and scriveners: The rise of the illuminated manuscript -- Ex Oriente lux: Woodcut comes to the West -- Etching a sketch: Copperplate printing and the Renaissance -- Better imaging through chemistry: Lithography, photography, and modern book printing -- Books before the book: Papyrus scrolls and wax tablets -- Joining the folds: The invention of the codex -- Ties that bind: Binding the paged book -- Size matters: The invention of the modern book.

We may love books, but do we know what lies behind them? Keith Houston reveals that the paper, ink, thread, glue, and board from which a book is made tell as rich a story as the words on its pages -- of civilizations, empires, human ingenuity, and madness. In a tactile history of this 2,000-year-old medium, Houston follows the development of writing, printing, the art of illustrations, and binding to show how we have moved from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the hardcovers and paperbacks of today.