Warren Chappell’s A Short History of the Printed Word is really good but it covers only the printing period. It was updated by Robert Bringhurst.
On a much more “calligraphic” or writing approach, George Jean’s L’Écriture mémoire des hommes is really good, if you understand French. It was republished by Gallimard in 2007.
3.Mar.2008 11.21am
I have one but it’s in Italian, the title is at the very bottom of this page :
http://www.gregorietti.it/GROU.html
5.Mar.2008 8.18am
Warren Chappell’s A Short History of the Printed Word is really good but it covers only the printing period. It was updated by Robert Bringhurst.
On a much more “calligraphic” or writing approach, George Jean’s L’Écriture mémoire des hommes is really good, if you understand French. It was republished by Gallimard in 2007.
5.Mar.2008 11.39am
Check Google Books and Microsoft Books for Mason’s History of the Art of Writing. It’s very old and very thorough.