Andrew Robinson The Story of Writing Reviews Summary

Great overview of world writing-systems

Beautifully illustrated

Easy to follow history

Set in the context of each civilization

Broad ranging review of writing ancient and modern

Packed with photographs and diagrams

Clearly written overview of writing through history

Good introductory text

Weak on substance

Shallow

Mixes apples and oranges

Neglects linguistic fundamentals

Dependent on biased experts

Severely ethnocentric

Lightweight analysis of writing as a linguistic phenomenon

Historical merits outweigh intellectual deficits