Nicholas A. Basbanes Books
Nicholas A. Basbanes is an American author and journalist known for his works on books, bibliophilia, and literary culture.
Known for: On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History
Books by Nicholas A. Basbanes
On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History
A cultural and historical exploration of paper, tracing its invention in ancient China through its evolution as a medium that shaped civilization. Nicholas A. Basbanes examines how paper has influenced art, science, religion, and politics, and how it remains a vital part of human expression even in the digital age.
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The Invention of Paper in Ancient China
Every great transformation begins somewhere, and paper’s story begins in the laboratories and workshops of ancient China. Legend credits Cai Lun, an official of the Eastern Han court around the year 105 CE, with codifying the process we now recognize as papermaking — though fragments of earlier meth...
From On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History
Paper’s Journey Westward
From the valleys of China, papermaking began its slow, remarkable westward journey. Traders carried sheets and knowledge along the Silk Road, across Central Asia, reaching Samarkand by the eighth century. When the technique entered the Islamic world, it found new masters. Arabic craftsmen transforme...
From On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History
About Nicholas A. Basbanes
Nicholas A. Basbanes is an American author and journalist known for his works on books, bibliophilia, and literary culture. His previous works include 'A Gentle Madness' and 'Patience & Fortitude'.
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Nicholas A. Basbanes is an American author and journalist known for his works on books, bibliophilia, and literary culture.
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