First edition in English, translated from the French. Fine in fine jacket. A total of fifty-eight lavishly illustrated chapters that analyze the role of the image in the history of writing, with detailed commentaries from a team of leading specialists. Together they explain the evolution of more than 30 key scripts and alphabets and their numerous derivatives. The scope of the material, along with extensive documentation make this an essential contribution to existing scholarship on this fascinating subject. Illustrated throughout in color and black and white.