The Alphabetic Labyrinth by Johanna Drucker

The Alphabetic Labyrinth by Johanna Drucker

The letters of the alphabet have been the object of speculation since their invention almost 4000 years ago. The symbols represent sounds, yet they exist in their own right, often invested with quasi-magical power. This book examines the many imaginative, often idiosyncratic ways in which the letters of the alphabet have been assigned value in political, spiritual, or religious belief systems over two millennia. The birth of writing was linked to religion and cosmology and was endowed with semi-divine status. Plato saw letter-forms as reflecting ideas, while the Pythagoreans assimilated them to number-theory. The Greeks employed letters for occult and divinatory purposes, while the Romans used them in more practical ways, such as the invention of shorthand. The Middle Ages saw the rise of further theories about letters in Christian philosophy, alchemy and Kabbalah. Theories of their divine origin and mystical significance continued into the 18th and 19th centuries, becoming involved with nationalism and revolutionary political theory. In our own day letters of the alphabet are the subject of scholarly research, and inspiration to graphic artists and a fertile field for mystical speculation. This book explores this realm, and should be of interest to cultural historians, art historians, and anyone interested in the history of typography.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9780500016084
ISBN 10	0500016089
Titel	The Alphabetic Labyrinth
Autor	Johanna Drucker
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Hardback
Verlag	Thames & Hudson Ltd
Erscheinungsjahr	1995-04-18
Seitenanzahl	320
Preise	Winner of British Book Design & Production Award Winter & Co General Hardback Award Category 1996
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.
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