The History of Writing

Abstract

This review presents Donald Jackson’s The History of Writing, translated into Arabic by Mohammed Fathi Khidr, as a work that traces the origins and development of writing systems and writing tools from ancient beginnings to the machine age. The review shows that the book discusses the emergence of writing and alphabetic letters, with particular attention to ancient Egyptian writing and the development of hieroglyphic signs, as well as Eastern writing systems, especially the Phoenician alphabet and its influence on later scripts. It also outlines the book’s treatment of Chinese writing as an ancient symbol-based system, then moves to writing among the Greeks and Romans and the transformations of letters and writing materials. The review further addresses writing materials in the Middle Ages, such as papyrus and parchment, and the role of Christianity in reinforcing certain writing media in the West, before turning to the machine age and the development of writing tools, including the metal pen. The book is presented as a concise historical account of writing as a central instrument for preserving knowledge and transmitting civilizations.