I was encouraged to jump into this book on the history of reading after having read Alberto Manguel’s short book Packing My Library (https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/2023/03/book-review-packing-my-library-by.html), on his elegy to his library in France, it was the library that he had wanted for all of his life but one that he had to give it up for unspecified reason. This book on the history of reading had also been cited by Maryanne Wolf in her book Proust and the Squid (https://polymathtobe.blogspot.com/2023/10/book-review-proust-and-squid-by.html) as a source of her research on reading. It was a serendipitous discovery for me as I would not have consciously sought out a history of reading.
The book comprises of 22 essays, with ten essays collected
under the section titled Acts of Reading, and ten essays collected under
the section titled Powers of the Reader. A leading section and essay
titled The Last Page led off the
book and an ending section and essay titled Endpaper Pages. What happened between The
Last Page and Endpaper Pages was sheer reading pleasure about
reading.
Manguel is erudite and a thorough researcher, more
importantly, he is an excellent storyteller, never straying too far into pedantisms
yet also digging into the granularities deep enough to satisfy the reader’s
curiosity. The subject of the book may seem to be a topic that could be a
snoozer; I must admit that I am one of the select many who find the subject
more than a little interesting, but I am the kind of geek that this book was
written for. \
Where else does one find out that it was the norm in the
time of St. Augustine for readers read loudly and in public, whereas our habits
are that such that reading is done silently. Or having the history of language,
writing, and reading explained in an erudite and clear fashion. Or having the
neurological theories of how humans developed the ability to create and decipher written language and develop the
ability to suss out the different meaning that are imbued in the words, albeit
his explanations are not at the levels of neuroscientific depth as a textbook
but it is clear and delivered in a concise manner.
Far be it for me to recite the content of the book in a book
review, because the surprise to the reader comes from the unexpectedness of the
topic and the histories in the form of the stories woven into the essays are
not only informational but completely entertaining.
Manguel writes with the rigorousness and discipline of a
literary scholar that he is. He has also selected the subject of each essay
with foresight and structure that gives the reader sufficient guidance to
accumulate the facts through the stories and references that he cited. The book
is an interesting conglomeration of genres: as a serious history book and as an
informative tome to be read for pleasure.
It is my habit to set aside time at the end of the day for
relaxing reading. The books that I read are usually some mindless fictions,
mostly mysteries, so that my mind can be relaxed in order to prepare for sleep;
or a book of essays that are short enough to be consumed pre-slumber while also
interesting enough to give my mind a gentle workout, to exhaust it enough to
make it welcome the advancing sandman. This book fits the bill on many occasions.
I did not read it with a set of expectations, I read it as a source of pleasure
and knowledge. The essays consistently drew
in my interest, and I gained knowledge with every essay.
I would suggest reading this book with the same easy and
unhurried approach. The beauty of this subject is that I plan on returning to
the book as a reference on the history of language in general as well as a
handy book of essays, to be re-read and enjoyed.
I so enjoyed this book that I had sought our other books
written by Alberto Manguel before I had finished this one so that I can have
the books in my possession so that I can reach for them when the mood strikes.
