The Greatest Invention: A History of the World in Nine Mysterious Scripts

This book reveals the origins of writing through the examination of alphabets in everyday objects. Author Silvia Ferrara takes readers back in time to Mesopotamia, Crete, China, Egypt, Central America, and beyond, exploring the enigmas of undeciphered scripts like the Phaistos disk and the Voynich Manuscript, the intricate khipu of the Incas, the turtle shells and ox scapulae of early Chinese inscriptions, and Sequoyah’s invention of a script. Ferrara shows how deciphering these ancient inscriptions not only reveals the stories of these peoples but also uncovers timeless truths about human nature and our ceaseless drive to connect, create, and be remembered.

An exhilarating celebration of human ingenuity and perseverance, this book chronicles an uncharted journey through past flashes of brilliance, present-day scientific research, and the faint echoes of writing’s future.

(This book may contain a sharpie mark on the top or bottom edge and may show mild signs of shelfwear.)