Book by John Agard (review)

Guyanese-born British poet Agard tells the history of the book by taking on the storytelling persona of Book itself. The narrator begins the slim chronicle with the origins of writing, then discusses early texts on papyrus and parchment, then notes the development of paper and printing up through mechanization and paperbacks. Concluding chapters celebrate the library, discuss the history of burning books, and acknowledge the contribution of e-books to the great tradition of reading. First published in the U.K., this is a genial social history rather than an encyclopedic chronicle: Agard describes epochs without mentioning their dates, but he conjures a vivid, intriguingly detailed picture of the way the book and its social and economic meaning have transformed over the millennia. It’s an approach that’s got an old-fashioned charm but a contemporary appreciation of narrative voice, and the book covers a surprising amount of technical, economic, and cultural change in a highly accessible format. Brief chapters and airy layout add to the appeal, while the tone and rhythm make the text suitable for reading aloud. Packer’s clever monochromatic art includes decorative spot art, ornamental borders, and informative multi-step diagrams (the exploration of how sheepskin becomes parchment is particularly compact) that remains a spare and supportive partner to the text. This will have an easy place in library lessons, and it will also engage the youngsters who want nonfiction to read like a story. Relevant quotations and poems, from historically and globally diverse sources, are interspersed with the main narrative; a brief list of sources is appended.