Contrary to popular belief most innovations concerned with writing and literacy originated to the East of Europe and this book deals with the many varied materials upon which ancient writing is preserved in the Library’s collection – wooden calendar sticks of the 1st century BC from China; bamboo manuscripts from Sumatra; palm-leaf manuscripts from Sri Lanka and Burma; Sanskrit birch-bark manuscripts from Kashmir; ancient clay tablets from Mesopotamia; Coptic papyrus manuscripts from C4th Egypt; and the advent of parchment as a writing material and its growth across the Middle East and into Europe.  Paperback.  36 pages.  Very good clean condition.  Cat No 4427