Book: My Autobiography

by John Agard

“My name is Book and I’ll tell you the story of my life.” Non fiction like you've never read it before!

Quirky and humorous, part poetry, part reflection, this is the story of the book told by none other than Book himself! This extraordinary character begins by reminding us of his origins in oral story and clay tablets, then ponders on papyrus, parchment and paper, and on being a scroll who finally gets a spine. We see him lovingly illuminated by monks in medieval monasteries, then witness the massive changes brought about by the invention of the printing press, and the coming of paperbacks and e-books in the 20th century. But Book’s not a straightforwardly chronological chap; he can’t help musing – and his musings, whether they’re on the evolution of the alphabet, libraries, book-burning or blurbs, are delightful and thought-provoking. Years of reflection and observation have gone into this charming title – John Agard signed the contract with Walker 16 years ago!

• ISBN10: 0744544785
• ISBN13: 9780744544787
• Publish Date: 1 December 2014 (first published 18 September 2014)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 6 October 2023
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Walker Books Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 144
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

My name is book and I'll tell you the story of my life.   

This little guy is probably getting judged unfairly; judged based on the shelf I found him on in the library, which was in the adult non-fiction section.   Based on that shelf, this book was juvenile and cloyingly written.   

But if this had been shelved appropriately, for young readers, I'd say it's a fun book with solid information about the history of books, starting from oral tradition.  The eye-catching illustrations add visual interest and the interspersed quotes and poetry about books could send those kids in new reading directions.   

So, if you know of a young bibliophile in the making and you see this book, it might be worth a look.