Books have always been a place where culture and technology meet, a dynamic that is fully explored in this profusely illustrated history. Here are such key events as the spread of Aesop's Fables throughout the Greco-Roman world; the Book of Kells surviving Viking raids; and the writing of the first novel, The Tale of Genji. Also discussed here are the development of papyrus, the Gutenberg press, and digital media, plus a look at the earliest known books devoted to astronomy, cooking, anatomy, and jokes.