"A good book is the precious life-blood of a master-spirit," Milton wrote in his Areopagitica, "embalmed and treasured up on purpose to a life beyond life." It's apropos for a book about books to be a handsome book itself, and Martyn Lyons's Books is just that, a gorgeous, illustrated history of what Lyons describes as "one of the most useful, versatile and enduring technologies in history." Besides giving us a visual journey of the book as a beautiful, aesthetic object, he also shows us how influential the book has been in shaping human history for 2,500 years.
From its initial stone representations, to the codex and the illuminated manuscript, and on to mass production thanks to moveable type (which the Chinese used in 1100), one can sometimes overlook just how different history would be if there had been no book or writing. Lyons is very good exploring how the two were inextricably linked. He concisely touches upon all the well-known themes, from books for the masses, the creation of bestsellers, the impact of religious books, the rise of publishers and birth of bookstores. But he also delves into international history to tell us about the flourishing of the ars moriendi ("the art of dying") genre; Russian lubki, or chapbooks; and Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print books. This is a perfect browsing volume to have on your coffee table. --Thomas Lavoie, former publisher