ALPHA BETA: HOW OUR ALPHABET SHAPED THE WESTERN WORLD
Book ID/图书代码： 00000104B07968
English Summary/英文概要： The idea behind the alphabet - that language with all its wealth of meaning can
be recorded with a few meaningless signs - is an extraordinary one. So
extraordinary, in fact, that it has occurred only once in human history: in Egypt
about 4000 years ago. Alpha Beta follows the emergence of the western
alphabet as it evolved into its present form, contributing vital elements to our
sense of identity along the way. The Israelites used it to define their God, the
Greeks to capture their myths, the Romans to display their power. And today, it
seems on the verge of yet another expansion through the internet.
Tracking the alphabet as it leaps from culture to culture, John Man weaves
discoveries, mysteries and controversies into a story of fundamental historical
significance.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 因為字母，西方文明才能夠奠下基石。
字母為整個西方世界的認同感提供了重要的元素：以色列人用字母定義他們的上帝、希臘人用字母記錄神話、羅馬人用字母展現力量；今日，透過網際網路，羅馬字母儼然有主宰世界之勢。
本書是第一本詳細探討西方字母在不同文化間傳遞發展，後來演變成最有效率、最方便的書寫形式的書，書中廣泛分析比較字母、楔形文字、象形文字和中文的書寫特色。
從埃及、西亞、希臘、羅馬、蒙古、西夏，乃至朝鮮，作者追尋字母足跡的所到之處，把各種發現、謎題和爭議，編織成一則則具有歷史分量的故事。(VL)
Awards/获奖情况：Reviews:
Crisp, taut, and as clear as a bell ... a fascinating story with many a beguiling subplot along the way.---New Scientist
The story of how [the alphabet] came into being is a fascinating one and Man is the ideal writer to tell it. His scholarship seems boundless... he also has a journalist’s ear for a story... straight out of Indiana Jones---Times Educational Supplement
Absorbing tale ... many surprises on the way.---Sunday Telegraph
A scholarly and fascinating history of the alphabet, from hieroglyphics to letters, and its dissemination from culture to culture and from past to present---The Times
About the Author/作者介绍： John Man身為歷史學家及旅行作家，對蒙古及中國特別感興趣，著有《長城》The Great Wall, The Terracotta Army,《古騰堡革命》The Gutenberg Revolution,《發現成吉思汗：出生、死亡與復活》Genghis Khan,《忽必烈汗 》Kublai Khan及《上帝之鞭阿提拉》Attila the Hun等書，現居英國倫敦。
John Man is an historian and travel writer with a special interest in Mongolia
and China. His books include The Great Wall,The Terracotta Army,The
Gutenberg Revolution, Genghis Khan, Kublai Khan, and Attila the Hun.
Format:
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE(到期可授)
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
Sales in other countries/其他国家销售情况：Sweden; Italy; Brazil; Korea; China; Japan; Netherland
原文第一章内容：暂无
手稿：暂无
大纲：暂无