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Place For Everything
Place For Everything
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A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. Once we’ve learned our ABCs as children, few of us ever think of them again, but alphabetical order plays a material role in our adult lives. From school registers to electoral rolls, from dictionaries and encyclopedias to library shelves, the alphabet has ordered our lives, often invisibly. Yet the birth of alphabetization was a constant struggle: Medieval clergy felt that its use would upend the divine order of creation; elite institutions like Harvard and Yale long ranked students by the social status of their parents, rather than ordering them from A to Z. But eventually alphabetical order triumphed.
With wry humor, historian Judith Flanders offers a fascinating history of how the alphabet ordered our world.
Details of Book
A note on book covers: while we do our best to ensure the accuracy of cover images, ISBNs may at times be reused for different editions of the same title which may hence appear as a different cover.
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One Line Summary
Fascinating history of how alphabetization shaped society.
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Who is this book for?
If you’re curious about the hidden forces that organize our daily lives, this book offers a compelling peek into the history of alphabetical order. Judith Flanders brings wit and insight to the story, revealing its surprising origins and how it influences everything from libraries to social hierarchies. It’s a delightful read for anyone interested in the unseen structures that shape our world.