Before the E-Reader: 7 Ways Our Ancestors Took Their Reading on the Go: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

papyrus manuscript

Neo-Assyrian clay tablet from the 7th century BC inscribed with dense cuneiform writing, known as the Flood Tablet from the Epic of Gilgamesh, displayed in the British Museum.

Ancient Egyptian illustration from the Book of the Dead showing Anubis weighing the soul of the scribe Ani, with gods seated above and hieroglyphic text throughout.

Ptolemaic ostracon with demotic inscription

Conversation in Autumn by Hua Yan

Voynich manuscript

See All Images →

Topics

book 11 Banned Books Through Time incunabula e-book pamphlet cookbook best seller proofreading codex emblem book Illuminated manuscript