Letter Perfect: The Marvelous History of our Alphabet from A to Z

Event Details

A most un-Miller Center-esque, but most interesting and entertaining, topic. David Sacks, in his new book Language Visible: Unraveling the Mystery of the Alphabet from A to Z, writes, ?Letters are images of language: They were invented, around 2000 B.C., to show tiny sounds of speech. Letters, when combined correctly, re-create the sounds of words. . .? In chapters provocatively titled, for example, ?The Lure of L? and ?The Birth of V-ness,? Sacks provides the history and distinctive meaning of each letter of the alphabet and argues that the alphabet is ? the most consequential invention of world history.? Saks, also the author of the Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World, will sign copies of Language Visible following his Forum. Excerpts are available at the Miller Center web site: millercenter.org.