CONTENTS

Foreword = 1

Introduction: Of Giants and Genius = 5

1. The Trouble with Pictures = 17

2 The Bearable Burden of Syllables = 33

3 Letters in the Wilderness = 67

4 The Search for the Perfect Alphabet = 91

5 Into Sinai = 119

6 The Land of Purple = 155

7 The Selfish Alphabet = 185

8 The Great Leap Forward = 195

9 Why We Don't Write Etruscan = 237

10 The Limits to Growth = 265

Appendix 1 = 285

Appendix 2 = 289

Bibliography = 297

Acknowledgements = 303

Index = 305