Microhistories offer a fresh way of looking at the world. Author Mark Kurlanksy is one of the best researchers and writers of the genre, known internationally for his books Cod and Salt, among others. At first glance, an entire book about something seemingly mundane or insignificant doesn’t sound all that thrilling. But when you see how one item affects the entire way we live, anything can become suddenly interesting.
Including paper.
Paper: Paging through History is Kurlansky’s newest microhistory, documenting paper from its humble beginnings to its surprisingly bright future.
The story of paper touches each of our lives in various ways, spanning through society by making contact with media, religion, education, literacy, commerce, and art. As Kurlansky puts it, it has “created civilzathions, fostering the formenting of revolutions and the stabilizing of regimes.” Big talk for little scraps of paper.
The book is especially relevant in today’s world as paper attempts to make itself relevant in an “increasingly paperless world.” But Kurlansky argues that paper actually has a bigger future than we may think.
Paper: Paging through History is a great look into facet of our world. If you’re interested in history, or just want to learn something new (so you look impressive at parties), give it a shot. Or, hey, be ironic and download the eBook.
Thanks for reading!
The O'Fallon Public Library News 