by Tom Standage
First published 2013
From ancient scrolls to modern tweets, one historian traces the untold story of social communication. As Cicero's papyrus letters circulate the Roman Empire, medieval scribes spread news by hand, and Enlightenment philosophers build the first "news networks", the timeless human urge to share, gossip, and debate transforms with each technological leap. Witty and wise, "Writing on the Wall" is a sweeping journey through the eras that made us who we are online.
Genres: history, non-fiction, 21st-century, communication
Vibes: intimate, sweeping, thought-provoking
Tropes: sweeping-journey, untold-story
Period: Ancient, Medieval, Enlightenment
278 pages · Paperback · Bloomsbury Publishing