Reveals how books and the materials that make them reflect the history of human civilization, tracing the development of writing, printing, illustrating, and binding to demonstrate the transition from cuneiform tablets and papyrus scrolls to the mass-distributed books of today.

Wood and metal letters pressed into paper laid the foundation for the modern world. Once essential to communication, letterpress printing unexpectedly thrives in our digital age. PRESSING ON is required viewing for design centered audiences, advertising and type nerds, history buffs and documentary lovers.

James Burke examines how various scientific, historical and social factors gave rise to technological advances, including telecommunications, mining and the printing press.

Geronimo, Benjamin, Trap, Petunia, and Bugsy Wugsy, go back in time to Germany in the 1400s to stop the pirate cats from sabotaging the workshop of Gutenberg - the inventor of the printing press.

"Thomas Christensen's previous title 1616 : The World in Motion looked at a single year in the age of early maritime globalism--PW gave it a starred review, calling it 'a stunning overview of the nascent modern world.' By contrast his new gorgeously illustrated River of Ink ranges widely across time and cultures and offers what amounts to a magisterial history of literacy. The book's title refers to the sacking of Baghdad in 1258 when the Tigris ran...

Uses humor in both text and illustrations to describe the history of books and how important they have been to civilization.