This book examines how developments in the technology of writing and literacy stimulated changes in Western civilization from its beginnings to the present. The study suggests that a few rather short periods between long static intervals generated significant cultural and cognitive innovations which still dominate «modern» civilization. Concentrating on these milestone eras - the first urban civilization in the Near East, the Greek and Roman periods, and the Renaissance - the author finds a consistent association of advances in the technique of writing and literacy with intense intellectual creativity.

"The story of literature in sixteen acts, from Alexander the Great and the Iliad to ebooks and Harry Potter, this engaging book brings together remarkable people and surprising events to show how writing shaped cultures, religions, and the history of the world"--

Give students the power of language by using the inspiring ideas in this very readable book.

Joseph Sugarman has been recognized worldwide for his ability to create persuasive advertising copy that turns a prospect into a customer. ADVERTISING SECRETS OF THE WRITTEN WORD is a comprehensive textbook that teaches you the step-by-step techniques you can follow to write advertising copy - the same lessons taught at his exclusive $3,000 seminars. The entertainingly illustrated book provides insights into the skills it takes to be a great copywriter & how to develop them. It then takes you into the thought process of ad creation, providing a very disciplined procedure that anybody can follow. A chapter reveals the "psychological triggers" & how they can be used effectively to "cause prospects to exchange their hard-earned money for your product or service." The book also presents many personal stories, advertising examples & many of Sugarman's own ads along with the reasons for their success or failure. Ray Schultz, editor of Direct Magazine says, "There is no better model for copywriters or magazine editors than Joe Sugarman." Quotes by Richard Thalheimer, President of The Sharper Image, Jack Canfield, co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul & Vice President Albert Gore are shown on the back cover.

This book follows the Tapestry philosophy and it also features: multicultural reading modules in thematic units that explore the many facets of personal and societal power; unit-opening surveys provide unique input on the theme under discussion; audio tape supplements the readings and provides students with additional exposure to meaningful text.

"This book focuses on how literate artisans began to write about their discoveries starting around 1400: in other words, it explores the origins of technical writing. Artisans and artists began to publish handbooks, guides, treatises, tip sheets, graphs and recipe books rather than simply pass along their knowledge in the workshop. And they tried to articulate what the new knowledge meant. The popularity of these texts coincided with the founding of a "new philosophy" that sought to investigate nature in a new way. Smith shows how this moment began in the unceasing trials of the craft workshop, and ended in the experimentation of the natural scientific laboratory. These epistemological developments have continued to the present day and still inform how we think about scientific knowledge"--

George Orwell set out ‘to make political writing into an art’, and to a wide extent this aim shaped the future of English literature – his descriptions of authoritarian regimes helped to form a new vocabulary that is fundamental to understanding totalitarianism. While 1984 and Animal Farm are amongst the most popular classic novels in the English language, this new series of Orwell’s essays seeks to bring a wider selection of his writing on politics and literature to a new readership. In Why I Write, the first in the Orwell’s Essays series, Orwell describes his journey to becoming a writer, and his movement from writing poems to short stories to the essays, fiction and non-fiction we remember him for. He also discusses what he sees as the ‘four great motives for writing’ – ‘sheer egoism’, ‘aesthetic enthusiasm’, ‘historical impulse’ and ‘political purpose’ – and considers the importance of keeping these in balance. Why I Write is a unique opportunity to look into Orwell’s mind, and it grants the reader an entirely different vantage point from which to consider the rest of the great writer’s oeuvre. 'A writer who can – and must – be rediscovered with every age.' — Irish Times