"Absent Voices is unique among books that explore one of mankind's greatest achievements: the art of writing. Writing enabled communication by the absent; yet, beneath any communication system, so conspicuous that it is concealed, lies a culture's writing system. If there be no writing system, there be no books, no libraries, and no world wide web. Not just a history, Rochelle Altman's work examines the complex unity of writing systems." "Absent Voices is the first book that examines writing systems in the full dictionary meaning of the word: a set or assemblage of things connected or associated so as to form a complex unity." "Absent Voices is a "must read" for all biblical, classical, and medieval scholars as well as anyone interested in the history of Western writing system, their origins, and their components that are the basis of the giant communication systems of today."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved