Author(s): Des Cowley

General

Books hold the world's stories-from the earliest known myths and legends to postmodern fictions. They are also mirrors of many worlds - worlds here and distant, past and present, real and imagined - and through text and image, they act as keepers of ideas, knowledge and of stories."The World of the Book" is a celebration of the book using the world-class rare books collection of the State Library of Victoria. The book includes an extraordinary range of volumes from important historical titles such as one of the first-ever illustrated books, William Caxton's "Myrrour of the Worlde" (1490), Rene Descartes, "Principia Philosophiae" (1677) and the "Nuremberg Chronicle" (1493) through to Penguin classics, pulp fiction and the modern graphic novel.It is also beautifully illustrated with some of the world's most stunning books, such as Jomard's monumental "Description de l'Egypte", documenting Napoloeon's great scientific and military expedition to Egypt in 1798, John James Audubon's "Birds of America" (1827-1838), Robert John Thornton's "Temple of Flora" and Ferdinand Bauer's "Illustrationes florae Novae Hollandiae".Discover the world of the book - the history of book production, design and illustration, the materials used, the changing technology and its evolution - from the Middle Ages through to the present day.