Writing

Writing surrounds us in the modern world – but how did it develop into the systems we use today, and given the technological developments of the twenty-first century, what does its future hold? This beautifully illustrated book, published to coincide with an interactive landmark British Library exhibition, celebrates the act of writing from across the globe. Exploring the history of writing and including more than 150 illustrations from carved stone inscriptions and medieval manuscripts to samples of early printing, modern handwriting and digital inputting systems, it reflects on the use of writing over the last 5,000 years and challenges our preconceptions about writing’s decline in the digital age.

Ewan Clayton is Professor in Design at the University of Sunderland. For twelve years he worked as a consultant to Xerox PARC, the research lab in California that developed much of the digital technology underpinning the world of digital communications that we know today. He is also a calligrapher and lettering artist. He grew up in and around a craft community at Ditchling in Sussex founded by Eric Gill. Ewan’s book The Golden Thread, a history of writing, was published in 2013 and has been translated into a number of languages.