«Whether his topic is Roman inscriptions, the bookkeeping traditions of the East India Company, the first admission of handwriting as evidence in a court of law, the pitfalls of the paperless office, or the experience of copying sacred texts, Clayton writes with ingenuous charm and contagious enthusiasm, often illustrating his points with "calligraphic studies" of his own.»

The Paris Review

«Clayton's book is punctuated with illuminating details. At every turn he brings history alive by personifying it... His book is an ideal place from which to begin an exploration of that most sophisticated of technologies - writing.»

Jane Shilling, Daily Telegraph

«A fascinating account of the changes and continuities in our use of the alphabet, from its origins in ancient Egypt through to blogs and social networks.»

Financial Times

«Fabulous... Clayton punctuates his history with wonderful anecdotes»

Stuart Kelly, Scotsman

«A book no bibliophile should miss»

Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

«Ewan Clayton has written a rich and highly accessible history of why we write as we do, and his timing is superb. To think we may lose all this is heartbreaking.»

Simon Garfield, author of Just My Type