Papyrus: The Invention of Books in the Ancient World

Written by Irene Vallejo

Narrated by Sophie Roberts

A "masterly" (Economist), prize-winning, internationally bestselling history of books in the ancient world

"Exquisite. . . . Beautifully translated into English by Charlotte Whittle, who is able to convey both Vallejo’s passionate narrative presence and her synthesising intelligence.” —The Guardian

Long before books were mass-produced, hand-copied scrolls made from Nile River reeds were the treasures of the ancient world. Emperors and pharaohs, determined to possess them, dispatched emissaries to the edges of the known world to bring them back. Exploring the deep and fascinating history of the written word, from the oral tradition to scrolls to codices, internationally bestselling author Irene Vallejo shows that books have always been a precious and precarious vehicle for civilization.

Through fascinating stories from history, insightful readings of the classics, and poignant personal reflection, Vallejo traces the dramatic history of the book and the fight for its survival. At its heart a spirited love letter to language itself, Papyrus takes readers on a journey across the centuries to discover how a simple reed grown along the banks of the Nile would give birth to a rich and cherished culture.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Random House Audio Publishing Group
• Translator: Charlotte Whittle
• Release date: Oct 18, 2022
• ISBN: 9780593627648

Irene Vallejo

Atraída desde la infancia por las leyendas de Grecia y Roma, Irene Vallejo (Zaragoza, 1979) estudió Filología Clásica y obtuvo el Doctorado Europeo por las Universidades de Zaragoza y Florencia. En las bibliotecas florentinas nació su ensayo El infinito en un junco (2019), que ha recibido una extraordinaria acogida entre crítica y lectores, convertido ya en un éxito editorial internacional. Reconocido en España con el Premio Nacional de Ensayo, el Premio ‘El Ojo Crítico’ de Narrativa, el Premio Wenjin de la Biblioteca Nacional de China, el Premio Internacional de Ensayo Henríquez Ureña de la Academia Mexicana de la Lengua, el Premio ‘Librerías Recomiendan’ del Gremio de Librerías, el de las ‘Librerías de Madrid’, el galardón ‘Líder Humanista’, el premio ‘José Antonio Labordeta’, el Premio ‘Antonio Sancha’ de los Editores, así como el Premio Aragón 2021, entre otros, ha alcanzado 45 ediciones, se traduce a treinta y cinco idiomas y se está publicando en más de cincuenta países. Apasionada por la divulgación de los autores clásicos, colabora con prestigiosos medios como El País, Heraldo de Aragón o Cadena Ser en España, y Milenioy Laberinto en México. Sus artículos han sido recopilados en Alguien habló de nosotros (2017) y El futuro recordado (2020). Entre sus obras de ficción, destacan La luz sepultada (2011) y El silbido del arquero (2015), peculiar novela histórica con ecos homéricos y virgilianos, también traducida a varios idiomas. Ha publicadodos álbumes ilustrados: El inventor de viajes (2014), junto al artista José Luis Cano, y La leyenda de las mareas mansas (2015), con la pintora Lina Vila, acercando las leyendas clásicas a los lectores jóvenes. A finales de 2020, publicó el breve Manifiesto de la Lectura (2020) por encargo del Gremio de Editores. Colabora con proyectos sociales como Believe in Art y Érase una voz, que recrean el arte y la literatura en los hospitales infantiles.

Reviews for Papyrus

[waitingtoderail · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A poorly translated title (the Spanish title translates as Infinity in a Reed) will cause some disappointment among those looking for a book specifically on the topic of papyrus or Egyptian writing. While these topics are discussed, they are not the true focus of the book, which is a beautifully written love letter to "the classics," i.e, the writings of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Go in with that topic in mind and you will be enthralled.

[shrike58 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While the subtitle of this work is not totally misleading, this really isn't a history of the invention of books. I think it's equal parts memoir and a consideration of how readers were created, with all the implications that flow from that. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, but whereas yesterday (Oct. 11, 2025) when I basically finished it up, I had seriously considered giving it five stars; the more I think about the work the slighter it feels. Still, I would read more essays from this lady.

[deusvitae · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's not really about papyrus.

This is a very wide-ranging, fitful, episodic exploration of the development of writing and preservation of knowledge in books and how they were made available.

There's two large sections of the work, Greek and Roman, with the Greek really much more about Alexandria and its library and thus Hellenism more than Greek itself. But the author will travel far further back to the beginning of literacy, the development of papyrus, but also will shift forward to the use of parchment and codices and even some aspects of modern life.

If there's a unifying theme of the work it's the dynamic of the written word: what it has allowed and facilitated, the limitations of the craft, its marketing, its place in society, literacy levels, etc.

There's a lot of interesting and insightful information here. But it's a lot longer than you might think it is, and the information presented is far more stream-of-consciousness or according to the author's whim than anything resembling a coherent, linear progression.

**--galley received as part of early review program

[albertgoldfain · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A good vehicle for exploring general history through history of books. I especially liked chapter on the embellishments of bards.

[nancyadair-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

We are the only animals who imagine fables, who scatter darkness with stories, who learn to live with chaos thanks to the tales we tell, who stoke the ember of fires with the air of their words, who travel great distances to carry their chronicles to strangers. And when we share the same stories, we are no longer strangers anymore.

from Papyrus by Irene Vallejo
What a delightful book! The book is as gorgeous as the writing, so I looked forward to holding it and reading it every night. It took me on a journey back in time, to the first letters and first writing, to soft clay tablets that could be smoothed over, to the papyrus scrolls that ancient Egypt exported across the known world, to parchment and codices. What was in those fragile books, how they were preserved or destroyed, sheltered in libraries or lost in war or in conflagrations spurred by anger. It traces Western heritage from the Greeks, whose culture was adopted by the Romans (who were better at war than philosophy.)

This is the serious book lover’s dream of a book, wide ranging across time and topics, but always coming back to the attachment we have to books, their power to reach across time and space. Librarians are liberal heroes, in the past and today; our own local librarian watches people scan the shelves, bringing their complaints, pressuring the offerings to conform to their truth. In the ancient world, booksellers were punished for the books they sold. Books are dangerous things! They hold ideas and ideals that challenge the status quo.

Vallejo begins with a journey, thousands of years ago, when brave men crossed the world and risked everything to bring rare manuscripts back to Ptolemy for his library in Alexandrea. And she ends with the loss of literacy after the fall of Rome, and their revival with the printing press. Books no longer had to be hand copied by slaves, distributed to the few.

How my mind soared while reading, filled with insight–there is so much packed into this volume! It’s a book to return to, for the beautiful writing, and the knowledge, the sheer pleasure of reading it.

I received a free book from A. A. Knopf. My review is fair and unbiased.