A History of Writing
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Summary
Writing is one of the oldest technological tools in the history of human civilization. In civilizations without writing, human memory faced enormous challenges; with the emergence and development of writing, its many new and revolutionary possibilities overcame the limits of memory in storing and transmitting knowledge. But who invented these new possibilities, and who used them? What functions does writing serve? And how has writing transformed the way humans live together?
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers with a strong interest in world civilization, linguistics, and semiotics who wish to go beyond a single regional perspective
- Professionals and students in cultural studies, history, or communication seeking theoretical reference
- Enthusiasts who know something about the origins and development of Chinese characters and are eager to place them in a global comparative framework
- Readers who enjoy macro-historical works of academic depth whose narrative remains clear and coherent
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining reading or merely curious trivia about writing
- Readers expecting detailed writing techniques or an exhaustive evolution history of a single script (such as Chinese characters alone)
Reading tips
- It is advisable to first browse the table of contents to grasp the book's structure, moving from theoretical framework to regional case studies; strict sequential reading is not necessary
- Readers may consult images of specific scripts mentioned in the book (such as cuneiform or Mayan writing) to aid understanding
- Focus on the author's analysis of the connections between different writing systems and social structures and cognitive patterns, which is the book's core argument
About the publisher
Shanghai Joint Publishing Company focuses on humanities and social science publishing and has developed a distinctive profile in the collation and translation of classical literature and world classics. Its 258 titles in the database cover classical literature, world classics, foreign literature, literary appreciation, general biography, and modern poetry. Representative publications include the Annotated Dream of the Red Chamber by Zhiyanzhai series, as well as collected and selected works by classic authors such as Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Shakespeare. Its authors and translators include Cao Xueqin, Zhiyanzhai, Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Zang Zhonglun, Zeng Siyi, Xu Zhenya, and Cao Ying. The press emphasizes the annotated collation of classic texts and the publication of authoritative translations, forming a publishing profile that spans both Chinese classical literature and world literary classics. Because public information on some details of its publishing history is limited, they are not discussed here.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 序言 文字书写技术和符号的世界
- 第一章 没有文字的文明和对记忆力的挑战
- 第二章 谁在何时、何地、为何开始写字？
- 一、谁最先拥有文字，谁把控着知识？
- 二、古欧洲和古中国所用铭文所包含的宗教功能
- 三、古欧洲——古爱琴海的书写文化
- 四、美索不达米亚和埃及文字中的经济功能
- 五、楔形文字在古代近东、中东和小亚细亚的形成及推广
- 六、旧大陆和新大陆的书写原则和书写技术
- 第三章 从单词书写到音标书写：文字是对抽象思维的考验
- 一、文字和语言之间的对峙关系——符号系统的组成
- 二、书写技术及书写原则的发展趋势
- 三、文字相对于口语所具备的独立性
- 四、语言结构和文字类型之间的关系
- 五、不断发展的表音化进程
- 第四章 书写技术和文字载体——从陶板到电子书
- 一、石块
- 二、陶土和陶器
- 三、金属制成的书写载体
- 四、骨骼和象牙
- 五、莎草纸
- 六、木材和树皮
- 七、棕榈叶
- 八、皮革
- 九、羊皮纸
- 十、纺织物
- 十一、纸
- 十二、数字化的文字形式
- 十三、书法
- 第五章 字母的胜利——从西奈文字到拉丁文
- 一、字母文字在近东地区的最古老变体
- 二、腓尼基字母
- 三、腓尼基文字在欧洲的推广
- 四、腓尼基文字在近东地区的推广
- 五、文明世界的语言和基础文字对推广字母原则产生的影响
- 六、欧洲和亚洲创造的孤立字母
- 七、字母文字在再现音素时的精确性
- 八、现代语言政策中的字母文字
- 第六章 欧洲的7000年文字史
- 第七章 回归到精英化的文字书写形式
- 文献目录
- 语言文字名称中德文对照表
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About the author
Harald Hallmann is an author about whom limited public information is available. What is known is that one work under his name, A History of Writing, has been introduced to Chinese readers and is classified under language and writing. Judging from the title and category, his writing concerns the origins, evolution and spread of writing itself, belonging to the field of writing studies or language history aimed at general readers rather than specialized linguistic theory. Such works commonly follow a chronological thread, tracing the formation of different writing systems and discussing the relationship between writing, society and culture, usually in a clear and accessible style that balances information with readability. Since only this one work is held in the collection and no fuller biographical details are available, Hallmann's education, professional identity and other publications cannot be confirmed, and his overall standing in the field awaits further evidence. For Chinese readers, A History of Writing offers an introductory perspective on the development of writing and can serve as a reference for reading in language and writing.
Li Jiedan is a Chinese author about whom limited public information is available; the confirmable details come mainly from one work, A History of Writing. The book falls under language and writing studies and deals with the emergence and evolution of writing, placing it in the field of writing systems and language culture. Judging from its subject, the author is concerned with the historical development of writing as a carrier of civilization rather than with the grammar or teaching of a single language, and the book appears aimed at general readers and beginners interested in the origins of scripts and language. Because only one work is held in the collection and no biographical, educational, or professional information about the author can be found, a full assessment of Li Jiedan's style and scholarly orientation is difficult. On the available evidence, Li Jiedan's contribution lies in presenting the development of writing in a general historical survey, offering Chinese readers a relatively systematic path into the evolution of scripts.
