History of Reading

Steven Roger Fischer’s fascinating book traces the complete story of reading from the time when symbol first became sign through to the electronic texts of the present day. Describing ancient forms of reading and the various modes that were necessary to read different writing systems and scripts, Fischer turns to Asia and the Americas and discusses the forms and developments of completely divergent dimensions of reading.

With the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East, innovative re-inventions of reading emerged – silent and liturgical reading; the custom of lectors; reading’s focus in general education – whereupon printing transformed society’s entire attitude to reading. Fischer charts the explosion of the book trade in this era, its increased audience and radically changed subject-matter; describes the emergence of broadsheets, newspapers and public readings; and traces the effect of new font designs on general legibility.

Fischer discusses society’s dedication to public literacy in the sweeping educational reforms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and notes the appearance of free libraries, gender differences in reading matter, public advertising and the "forbidden" lists of Church, State and the unemancipated. Finally, he assesses the future, in which it is likely that read communication will soon exceed oral communication through the use of the personal computer and the internet, and looks at "visual language" and modern theories of how reading is processed in the human brain. Asking how the New Reader can reshape reading’s future, he suggests a radical new definition of what reading could be.

Steven Roger Fischer’s fascinating book traces the complete story of reading from the time when symbol first became sign through to the electronic texts of the present day. Describing ancient forms of reading and the various modes that were necessary to read different writing systems and scripts, Fischer turns to Asia and the Americas and discusses the forms and developments of completely divergent dimensions of reading.

With the Middle Ages in Europe and the Middle East, innovative re-inventions of reading emerged – silent and liturgical reading; the custom of lectors; reading’s focus in general education – whereupon printing transformed society’s entire attitude to reading. Fischer charts the explosion of the book trade in this era, its increased audience and radically changed subject-matter; describes the emergence of broadsheets, newspapers and public readings; and traces the effect of new font designs on general legibility.

Fischer discusses society’s dedication to public literacy in the sweeping educational reforms of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and notes the appearance of free libraries, gender differences in reading matter, public advertising and the "forbidden" lists of Church, State and the unemancipated. Finally, he assesses the future, in which it is likely that read communication will soon exceed oral communication through the use of the personal computer and the internet, and looks at "visual language" and modern theories of how reading is processed in the human brain. Asking how the New Reader can reshape reading’s future, he suggests a radical new definition of what reading could be.

Library Journal

The director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literature, Auckland, New Zealand, and author of A History of Language (1999) and A History of Writing (2001), Fischer here completes his trilogy, part of the publisher's "Globalities" series. As novelist Alberto Manguel has done in his 1996 work of the same title, Fischer describes how literacy and printing developed in Asia, Europe, and the Americas and explores such modern-day phenomena as the ebook and text messaging on cellular telephones. But unlike Manguel, Fischer does not offer personal anecdotes, illustrations, or historical time lines. Overall, Fischer's historical narratives about the development of literature and literacy are engrossing; however, he occasionally offers opinions on topics that seem beyond his linguistic expertise, such as religious scholarship and even other literary areas. For example, he backs up one argument by referring to a newspaper article about Islamic scholars instead of a stronger resource. And when he discusses the composition of the Bible, he refers to two archaeologists' work rather than a respected textual scholar's overview of scholarship. These weaknesses are most apparent in the final chapter. One concludes that the author never comes to terms with his struggle to balance interdisciplinary scholarship with wide audience appeal. Those libraries already owning the previous two titles may wish to order the title to complete the trilogy; all others may safely pass.-Marianne Orme, Des Plaines P.L., IL Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

Steven Roger Fischer is Director of the Institute of Polynesian Languages and Literatures in Auckland, New Zealand. A History of Reading is the final book in Fischer’s trilogy for Reaktion, which also includes A History of Language and A History of Writing.