'Marvellous . . . I read it with astonished delight . . . It is equally scholarly and entertaining.' - Jan Morris 'Quirky and compelling.' - The Times Once we've learned it as children, few of us think much of the alphabet and its familiar sing-song order. And yet the order of the alphabet, that simple knowledge that we take for granted, plays a major role in our adult lives. From the school register to the telephone book, from dictionaries and encyclopaedias to library shelves, our lives are ordered from A to Z. Long ...
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'Marvellous . . . I read it with astonished delight . . . It is equally scholarly and entertaining.' - Jan Morris 'Quirky and compelling.' - The Times Once we've learned it as children, few of us think much of the alphabet and its familiar sing-song order. And yet the order of the alphabet, that simple knowledge that we take for granted, plays a major role in our adult lives. From the school register to the telephone book, from dictionaries and encyclopaedias to library shelves, our lives are ordered from A to Z. Long before Google searches, this magical system of organization gave us the ability to sift through centuries of thought, knowledge and literature, allowing us to sort, to file, and to find the information we have, and to locate the information we need. In A Place for Everything, acclaimed historian Judith Flanders draws our attention to both the neglected ubiquity of the alphabet and the long, complex history of its rise to prominence. For, while the order of the alphabet itself became fixed very soon after letters were first invented, their ability to sort and store and organize proved far less obvious. To many of our forebears, the idea of of organizing things by the random chance of the alphabet rather than by established systems of hierarchy or typology lay somewhere between unthinkable and disrespectful. A Place for Everything fascinatingly lays out the gradual triumph of alphabetical order, from its possible earliest days as a sorting tool in the Great Library of Alexandria in the third century BCE, to its current decline in prominence in our digital age of Wikipedia and Google. Along the way, the reader is enlightened and entertained with a wonderful cast of unknown facts, characters and stories from the great collector Robert Cotton, who denominated his manuscripts with the names of the busts of the Roman emperors surmounting his book cases, to the unassuming sixteenth- century London bookseller who ushered in a revolution by listing his authors by 'sirname' first.
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Add this copy of Place for Everything to cart. $9.38, fair condition, Sold by Dream Books Co. rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Denver, CO, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Basic Books.
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Fair. This copy has clearly been enjoyed-expect noticeable shelf wear and some minor creases to the cover. Binding is strong and all pages are legible. May contain previous library markings or stamps.
Add this copy of A Place for Everything: the Curious History of to cart. $10.12, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Indust. of San Diego rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Diego, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Basic Books.
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The book has been read but is in good condition. There is minor to moderate wear to the outside, including scuffs, corner dings, & edge curls. It stand/lays flat. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing. Used books should not be expected to come with working access codes or bundled media. Please ask to verify before purchase.
Add this copy of A Place for Everything: the Curious History of to cart. $10.13, very good condition, Sold by Bookoutlet rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bridgeton, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Ships Within 24 Hours M-F-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Has a publisher overstock mark. Item is in Good Condition. Clean Copy With Light Amount of Wear.
Add this copy of A Place for Everything: the Curious History of to cart. $10.13, very good condition, Sold by GoodwillVSB rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxnard, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Basic Books.
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Very good. The cover shows normal wear and tear which may include scuffs, scrapes, scratches, worn corners and a few folded pages. The book may also contain some dust and or dirt on it.
Add this copy of A Place for Everything: the Curious History of to cart. $10.13, good condition, Sold by Goodwill of the Olympics rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from TACOMA, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2020 by Basic Books.
Add this copy of Place for Everything to cart. $10.33, good condition, Sold by Goodwill Indust. of San Diego rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from San Diego, CA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Basic Books.
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The book has been read but is in good condition. There is minor to moderate wear to the outside, including scuffs, corner dings, & edge curls. It stand/lays flat. The majority of pages are undamaged with minimal creasing. Used books should not be expected to come with working access codes or bundled media. Please ask to verify before purchase.
Add this copy of Place for Everything to cart. $10.34, very good condition, Sold by Bookoutlet rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Bridgeton, NJ, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Basic Books.
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Very good. Ships Within 24 Hours M-F-Satisfaction Guaranteed! Has a publisher overstock mark. Item is in Good Condition. Clean Copy With Light Amount of Wear.
Add this copy of Place for Everything to cart. $10.35, good condition, Sold by Seattle Goodwill rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Seattle, WA, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Basic Books.
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May have some shelf-wear due to normal use. Your purchase funds free job training and education in the greater Seattle area. Thank you for supporting Goodwill's nonprofit mission!
Add this copy of Place for Everything to cart. $10.35, fair condition, Sold by Goodwill rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brooklyn Park, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2022 by Basic Books.
Add this copy of A Place for Everything: the Curious History of to cart. $11.16, very good condition, Sold by HPB-Diamond rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Dallas, TX, UNITED STATES, published 2021 by Picador.
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Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
