Paper before Print

This handsomely produced and illustrated book is much more than a history of the manufacture and use of paper in the Islamic world. It introduces the reader to the entire history of papermaking, from its invention in China to the development of modern industrial methods. More intriguingly, however, it argues that paper should be thought of as a revolutionary technology on a par with movable type (and a necessary precursor to it, of course). In developing this argument, Jonathan Bloom takes the reader on a fascinating tour of Muslim culture

Ancient history · Archaeology · Argument (complex analysis) · China · Islam · Islamic culture · Papermaking · Pulp and paper industry · World history · Engineering · Global Maritime and Colonial Histories · Historical and Linguistic Studies · History · Islamic Studies and History