Review Detail

Did you know that the world's first best-selling novel was written by a woman, Lady Murasaki, in medieval Japan? That the printing press with movable type was invented independently on opposite sides of the world by both King Sejong of Korea and Johannes Gutenberg? That in pre-Civil War America people could be fined, whipped and imprisoned for teaching slaves to read?

Anyone who loves reading will be enthralled by You Can't Read This and its 18 far-reaching tales of forbidden books, lost writing, mistranslations and codes. Author and journalist Val Ross doesn't limit her history of the written word to the ancient world and the West: she travels around the globe to bring to life the most fascinating historical figures and developments in reading and writing from all parts of the world. With its short, easy-to-read chapters and excellently chosen illustrations, this entertaining history will captivate readers and make them stop and think about the real significance of this unconscious act we take for granted hundreds of times a day.