Book of the Month (October 2024): “Man and Writing”

Today, I would like to introduce “Man and Writing” (edited by Fumio Yajima / composed by Ikkō Tanaka).

This book can teach you about the alphabet, the Egyptian alphabet, the Mesopotamian alphabet, the kanji alphabet, and other characters including undeciphered characters, as well as the history of alphabets from the birth of characters.

There are explanations on various wall paintings, statues, etc. engraved with characters, and episodes from the time of collection, deciphering statuses, and explanations involving the “civilizations” closely connected to the characters. You can learn about the characters used together with the background of the birth of the characters.

In the middle of reading the book after learning about wall paintings, inscriptions on animal bones and tortoise carapaces, and hieroglyphs, when the Greek characters close to the familiar alphabet suddenly appeared, I felt a strange excitement, as if receiving a message or contact from approximately 2000 years ago.

The book is recommended to anybody who is interested in learning about the relationship between human beings and characters across regions in the world and time, including the history of kanji, the advent of kana, and relationships between printing techniques and media.

Book Information:
“Man and Writing”
Edited by: Fumio Yajima
Composed by: Ikkō Tanaka
Publisher: Heibonsha

Purchase Information:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/4582403212?SubscriptionId=AKIAI4GCNTRCDTCZB5WA&tag=heibonsha-22&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=5143&creativeASIN=4582403212

You can purchase a used book.

(NM)