| Publisher: Penguin Books (Paperback) First Published: 1996 Pages: 372 Author: Alberto Manguel |
Alberto Manguel’s stellar book on the craft of reading is nothing short of mesmerizing. While this may sound hyperbolic, it’s only after you’ve read the book that you’ll fully understand the lavish praise it has received over the years.
Born in Argentina and later settling in Canada, Manguel is a writer, editor, and critic, though he readily defines himself, first and foremost, as a reader.
It would be best to look no further than A History of Reading to understand why reading is central to his life.
In fact, Manguel considers it an even more important craft than writing. Here’s what he has to say on the significance of reading:
“I could perhaps live without writing. I don’t think I could live without reading. Reading – I discovered – comes before writing. A society can exist without writing, but no society can exist without reading.”
Alberto Manguel
A Feast for the Mind
It is one thing to write about a generic subject such as reading, and quite another to go down the rabbit hole and emerge on the other side as its cheerleader. Manguel’s deep dive into the auxiliary aspects of reading and the consequent storytelling leaves no doubt in my mind that few can match his insight.
With essays on books, bibliophiles, bibliokleptomanes, printing, translation, censorship, and even reading glasses, A History of Reading is a sui generis feast for the mind.
At the risk of sounding hyperbolic again, this book filled me with the same intellectual joy as Bookshops by Jorge Carrión, Breaking Bread with the Dead by Alan Jacobs or This is not the End of the Book by Umberto Eco.
A Gallery of Illustrious Figures
Manguel’s narrative works as an aphrodisiac for the curious mind. It stimulates your imagination and transports you to bygone places. From the dim-lit reading rooms of the library of Alexandria to the domed Pantheon of 18th-century Rome, he writes with the authority of someone who seems to have been there.
However, it’s not the places, but the people in the book who capture your attention more. It’s as if Manguel is walking by your side down a long corridor, introducing one historical figure after another and telling you their story as you sip on your Sauvignon Blanc.
You encounter a host of illustrious figures from across time —Saint Augustine, Saint Thomas Aquinas, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Margaret Fuller, Colette, the master printer Aldus Manutius, the legendary bibliophile Beatus Rhenanus, and many more.
You also encounter Callimachus of Cyrene, who worked in the ancient library of Alexandria and laid the foundations for what we know today as the library catalog.
In one of the book’s most moving accounts, Manguel recounts his scholarly encounters with another Argentine great – Jorge Luis Borges. When the nearly blind Borges asked him to become his reader, Manguel, out of his love for literature and respect for the aging writer took on the role of his literary Au Pair.
Fascinating Stories Galore
One of my favorite chapters in the book is Being Read To. It underlines the joy of reading to others. Manguel details how reading aloud was a full-time profession in ancient times. He traces the tradition of public readings from 6th-century Rome to mid-19th-century Cuba.
A History of Reading teems with such fascinating accounts. From the tradition of reading aloud to the shift toward silent reading, and from the physical pleasures of a book’s shape, binding, and scent to its more abstract qualities, Alberto Manguel’s bibliomaniac panorama is a delightful celebration of one of life’s greatest joys.
In the chapter The Silent Readers, Manguel explores an era when reading aloud in libraries wasn’t an offense, when reading and writing were seen as menial tasks assigned to poor clerics, and when understanding wasn’t required for knowledge, as students were forced to memorize rules by heart.
Another chapter, The Shape of the Book, delves into the evolution of the book as a physical object. Manguel describes the transition from clay tablets to papyrus and parchment scrolls, to hand-written codices, and finally to the printed books we know today, thanks to the Gutenberg printing press.
Conclusion
A History of Reading is an engrossing experience. Its language is gorgeous, its imagery beautiful, and it provokes thought on all kinds of interesting questions.
This is the kind of book you will want to read with a highlighter in your hand. Born from its author’s deep passion for books and reading, it’s not something to be devoured in one sitting. It’s not overly demanding either. If reading is your indulgence, you may savor a stroll through its pages rather than rushing through it.
A History of Reading shines in constructing a through-line of passion for reading even as every chapter can be read separately. The chapters are stand-alone vignettes, not necessarily following a chronological model. The research is solid and it serves as a springboard into the history of scholarship.
Alberto Manguel is not only one of the most erudite figures on the planet, but he is also a master of crafting sweeping tours of history and intense narratives. His book bears a testimony to his craft and will remain a force not easily forgotten.
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