History of Writing
This Web page has information to help researchers find materials related to the history of writing.
Books | Articles | Web--History of Writing | Web--Writing with Technology (E633 Topics) | Web--On Writing
Books
Use the library catalog SAGE to identify books that will give information on the topic. The primary subject heading (so do a SUBJECT search) for the history of writing is:
Writing -- History
For example: A History of Writing: From Hieroglyph to Multimedia. P211 .C573 2002 Morgan
However, there are many other terms that will be useful depending upon which aspect or era of writing is of interest. See also Subject Heading for Fall 633 Students.
Writing with recent and contemporary technology, for instance, can be found using:
| Authorship -- Data processing Digital media Electronic publishing Hypertext systems |
Keyboarding Text processing (Computer science) Word processing [a number of these are software manuals, but there are books that analyze too] |
For example: Writing in the Computer Age: Word Processing Skills and Styles for Every Writer. PN171 .D37 F58 1983 Morgan
Ancient forms of writing include:
| Cuneiform writing Hieroglyphics |
Paleography Picture-writing |
For example: The Invention of Cuneiform: Writing in Sumer. P211 .G5413 2003 Morgan
Studying the physical and descriptive forms themselves (and how to teach them):
Alphabet
Penmanship
Writing
For example: Sweet Roman Hand: Five Hundred Years of Italic Cursive Script. Z43 .B66 1952 Special
The teaching of writing falls under:
Rhetoric -- History
Rhetoric -- Study and teaching -- History
Written communication
For example: A Short History of Writing Instruction: From Ancient Greece to Modern America. PN181 .S56 2001 Morgan
Writing that is meant to hide (used in times of war or when there are concerns about industrial espionage or privacy):
Ciphers
Cryptography
For example: Codebreaker: The History of Codes and Ciphers, from the Ancient Pharaohs to Quantum Cryptography. Z104 .P56 2006 Movable Shelves
Items about auto-ethnography:
Autobiography -- authorship
Ethnology -- Authorship
For example: The Ethnographic I: A Methodological Novel about Autoethnography. GN307.7 .E435 2004 Morgan
Teaching writing (and other subjects) using technology:
Computers and literacy
Education -- Effect of technological innovations on
For example: 10 Easy Ways to Use Technology in the English Classroom. PE66 .F57 2003 Morgan
Be sure to check Prospector, the Colorado regional catalog for additional titles. CSU affiliates may request items from Prospector once they have established a PIN in the library catalog SAGE.
Subject headings for fall 2007 E633 Students
- English language -- Composition and exercises -- Study and teaching
- Interdisciplinary Approach in Education
- Critical thinking
- Critical Thinking Study and Teaching Secondary
- Critical Thinking Study and Teaching United States
- Critical Thinking United States
- Heroes in mass media
- Bain Alexander 1818 1903 [author and subject search]
- English Language Rhetoric
- Isocrates [author and subject search]
- Waldman Anne [author and subject search]
- Ong Walter J [author and subject search]
- Language and culture
- Oral tradition
- Writing
- Sanger Margaret 1879 1966 [author and subject search]
- Literary forgeries and mystifications
- Mimesis in literature
- Law and literature
- Ut pictura poesis (Aesthetics)
- Bly Nellie 1864 1922
- First Person Narrative
- Oral Reading
- Report writing -- Evaluation
- College prose -- Evaluation
Teaching Writing on the Computer. TILT Digital Library.
First Year Composition and Teaching Writing in General. TILT Digital Library.
Writing Program Administration. TILT Digital Library.
Writing Across Disciplines. TILT Digital Library
CSU Campus Writing Center. Colorado State University.
Beat Writers. Colorado State University Libraries.
Articles
Identify articles in indexes. Subject terms are of interest to fall 2007 E633 students. This is just a selection--try terms in all (or nearly all, depending upon the exact topic) recommended indexes/databases below.
Education Abstracts. 1985- . (Use printed Education Index for earlier years, 1935- . Z 5813 .E23 Reference South & Movable Shelves)
Critical thinking; testing programs; Computers--Educational use--High schools; English language--Computer aids; Tests and scales--Validity--Construct validity; English language--Composition--Tests and scales; English language--Composition--Teaching; Isocrates; Children's literature; Children's literature--Correlation with other subjects; Children's literature--Criticism; Children's literature--Psychology; Children's literature--Reading aloud; Shaughnessy, Mina P. 1925?-1978; English language--Composition--Theories and principles; Cognitive strategy instruction; Mental development; Learning, Psychology of--Feedback learning;; English language--Composition--Teaching methods; Learning, Psychology of--Feedback learning; English language--Composition--Evaluation; English language--Composition--Motivation; Time management; Ubiquitous computing; Multimedia; Educational technology--Social aspects; Language arts--Computer aids; Computers--Educational use; Internet--Educational use;
ERIC. 1966- .
JSTOR.
Writing across the curriculum; multitasking and students; Tintin; Biggles; [pretty much all topics]
Library Literature & Information Science.
Critical thinking; Children's literature; Children's literature--History; Children's literature--Evaluation; Children's reading--Psychological aspects; Content analysis
Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts.
Critical thinking; Children's literature;
MLA Bibliography.
Communication & Mass Media Complete.
HISTORY, Ancient; WOMEN -- History; WOMEN -- Legal status, laws, etc.; WOMEN -- Social conditions
Lexis Nexis Academic.
Legal tab: obscenity; Sanger (bibliographies probably most helpful);Comstock law of 1873.
New York Times 1851-.
Nellie Bly; Margaret Sanger; film; movies; silent film; talkies
Articles & Books
Townsend, John Rowe. John Newbery and His Books: Trade and Plumb-cake for Ever, Huzza! Metuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow Press, 1994. Prospector. Also search by subject in Prospector: Newbery, John, 1713-1767
Geschichte und Geschichten. Die Kinderund Jugendliteratur und das kulturelle und politische Gedächtnis ( History and stories. Children's literature and the cultural and political memory).
Frand, Jason L. "The Information-Age Mindset." Educause Review, v. 35 no5 (September/October 2000) p. 14-24.
Demoor, Marysa, ed. Marketing the Author: Authorial Personae, Narrative Selves and Self-fashioning, 1880-1930. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2004. PR478.A87 M37 2004 Morgan
McLeod, Susan H., and Margot Iris Soven, eds.Composing a Community: A History of Writing across the Curriculum. West Lafayette, IN: Parlor Press, 2006. Prospector
Biesecker, Susan L. "Rhetoric, Possibility, and Women's Status in Ancient Athens: Gorgias' and Isocrates' Encomiums of Helen." Rhetoric Society Quarterly, v22 n1 p99-108 Win 1992.
Descriptors: Ancient History; Feminism; Greek Civilization; Higher Education; Historiography; Rhetoric; Rhetorical Criticism; Sex Role
Benoit, William. “Isocrates and Plato on Rhetoric and Rhetorical Education.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 21 (1991): 60-71.
Goggin, Maureen Daly, and Elenore Long. “A Tincture of Philosophy, A Tincture of Hope: The Portrayal of Isocrates in Plato's Phaedrus.” Rhetoric Review 11 (1993): 301-24.
Haskins, Ekaterina. “Mimesis Between Poetics and Rhetoric: Performance Culture and Civic Education in Plato, Isocrates and Aristotle.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 30 (2000): 7-34.
Papillon, Terry L. “Mixed Unities in The Antidosis of Isocrates.” Rhetoric Society Quarterly 27 (1997): 47-62.
Too, Yun Lee. The Rhetoric of Identity in Isocrates: Text, Power, Pedagogy. New York: Cambridge UP, 1995.
Bizzell, Patricia. "Opportunities for Feminist Research in the History of Rhetoric." Rhetoric Review, Vol. 11, No. 1. (Autumn, 1992), pp. 50-58.
Kauffmann, Stanley, with Bruce Henstell, eds. American Film Criticism, from the Beginnings to Citizen Kane: Reviews of Significant Films at the Time They First Appeared. PN 1995 K293 Morgan
Conversations with Stanley Kauffmann. PS3521.A7255 Z64 2003 Morgan
Nellie Bly: Daredevil, Reporter, Feminist. PN4874.C59 K76 1994 Morgan
The Politics and Poetics of Journalistic Narrative: The Timely and the Timeless. PS366.R44 F78 1994 Morgan
Bandrapalli, Suman. "Writing through the Ages." Christian Science Monitor 93.192 (2001):23-. (Accessible to CSU affiliates only.)
"Fact File." UNESCO Courier 95.4 (April 1995): 30+. (Accessible to CSU affiliates only.)
Web--History of Writing
The following Web sites and pages have information on the history of writing. There are occasional pop-ups and pop-backs, so be careful.
History of Writing. History World.
Starts in 3100BC, click through pages (incomplete, stops at 1828). A few images show examples of different kinds of writing.
The Evolution of Writing. Illustrations by Hans-Eduard Meier. Die Schriftentwicklung, Zürich: Graphis Press, 1959. dca.
Starts with Greek script. Click through to read history and see many examples of writing.
Writing: The History, Development and Evolution of the World's Writing Systems. Kryss Katsiavriades and Talaat Qureshi. © 2007 WebRing Inc.
Gives an overview that includes sections on: Logograms, Syllabaries and Alphabets; and Scripts and Writing Systems, among others. Displays and links to ads.
Evolution of Alphabets. Robert Fradkin. University of Maryland.
Part of the course material for "History of the Alphabets." Shows evolution of the Cuneiform, Phoenician, Greek, Arabic, Greek, Square Aramaic/Hebrew (from the Phoenician), Modern Cyrillic (from the Greek), and Latin character set.
Time Table (Chronological). Knops Boekrestauratie. © KNOPS.
Time table of writing, printing, presses, societies, libraries, booksellers, and more (selective), on a book restoration and conservation company's Web site. -3500 to 1514 on first page, 1515-1648 on second, 1648-1814 on third, 1814-1879 on fourth, and 1879-1997 on the fifth. Also arranged alphabetically.
History of Writing Implements. Ringpen (GRANDEE Corporation). ©
Commercial site advertising its own wares. Gives a brief history of the tools used for writing (and what they wrote on) over the past 6000 years, with images of the tools.
Changing Language. British Library.
Online exhibit with language timeline and language and the written word.
Texts in Context. British Library.
Has "over 400 British Library texts. It includes menus for medieval banquets and handwritten recipes scribbled inside book covers. It opens up the first English dictionary ever written and explores the secret language of the Georgian underworld. It allows you to examine the shopping lists of the East India Company and to practise sentences from colonial phrasebooks. It presents smugglers' songs, rare dialect recordings, and the logbooks of 18th century trading ships.
"These 'everyday' texts illustrate the many histories – social, cultural, economic, political, technical – within which language is used and produced. We have included a whole range of characters: cooks, clerks, publishers, tradesmen, lexicographers, sea captains, smugglers and quack doctors, to name a few. All the texts will allow you to explore how language varies with situation within as well as across time."
One section, for example, is Dictionaries and Meanings."This site traces the history of English dictionaries from the 1500s to the present day." See also section on Why Write? which has images of the alphabet.
East Asian 4410: The History of East Asian Writing. Columbia University, Fall 1995. Henry Smith.
Detailed course syllabus with many recommended book (check the library catolog for local ownership). Topics include, what is writing? origins of writing outside of East Asia, origins of Chinese writing, Japanese syllabaries, invention of the Korean alphabet, orality and literacy, and more.
Outline of Japanese Writing System.Jack Halpern, Editor in Chief. Kanji Dictionary Publishing Society (KDPS). Revised: July 20, 2001. Copyright ©1990-2001 by KDPS.
Covers origins of the system (starting with Chinese) with some useful illustrations.
The History of Paper and the Spread of Writing. Carol Murphey. Michele Delattre. Scripts Workshop January 26 & February 2, 2002. International and Area Studies. University of California, Berkeley.
While some of the links do not work any more (workshop in early 2002), this has a lot of useful links that are annotated.
The History of Writing. Course Director: Simon Eliot. The Institute of English Studies is a member of the School of Advanced Study, University of London.
Course syllabus. Bibliography has list of useful resources (check the library catolog for local ownership). .
Writing and Reading. LING 001: Introduction to Linguistics. Mark Liberman and Ellen Prince. University of Pennsylvania. Department of Linguistics.
History of writing is the first section of this page, the most relevant to the current topic. The second section discusses literacy around the world (how many people speak the listed languages), and the brief third section covers reading problems.
Digital Images of Selected Princeton Papyri. Princeton University.
Images of Pharaonic, literary and Christian, Greek documentary, and Arabic papyri with information about them. Links to papyri collections at Duke University, University of California at Berkeley, University of Michigan, and Yale University.
African Writing Systems. Cornell Library.
Syllographic, Alphabetic, Pictographic, Petrographic, Chromatographic and Philosophical Systems are described and/or shown.
VÍTELIÚ: The Languages of Ancient Italy. Evolution Publishing.
Initial links to examples of the language. Later links are to books the publisher sells.
Web--Writing Using Electronic Technology & Other Topics
The History of Blogs. Allan Cho. Mary Sue Stephenson. School of Library, Archival and Information Studies. The University of British Columbia.
Gives an introduction, history of blogs, kinds of blogs, impact of blogs, culture of blogs, journalogsm?, dangers of blogging, example of blogs, conclusion, and (an extensive) bibliography (endnotes).
Were There Blog Enough and Time. Ralph E. Luker. American Historical Association.
Historian's perspective of history of blog use in history.
Teaching Literature and Writing with Technology. Center for Teaching History With Technology. Tom Daccord.
Links are arrange by topic: English and Language Arts: General Resources, Guides, Reference, and Articles; Commonly Taught Books:Literature Resources and Lesson Plans; English Teacher Web Sites and Projects; Grammar and Writing: Lessons, Exercise, and Quizzes; English and Language Arts Lesson Plans and Activities; and Poets and Poetry. Annotated.
One Size Fits All?: Student Perspectives on Face-to-Face and Online Writing Pedagogies. Lauren Yena & Zach Waggoner. Bowling Green State University.
Student and instructor thoughts on learning to write online (pro and con). References.
A Marriage Waiting to Happen: Computers and Process Writing. Julie M. Wood. © 2000, Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC).
Essay on process writing. References.
Goldber, Amie, Michael Russell, and Abigail Cook. "The Effect of Computers on Student Writing: A Meta-Analysis of Studies from 1992 to 2002." The Journal of Technology, Learning, and Asssessment 2.1 (February 2003).
Interesting analysis of the topic.
The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment (JTLA).
"The Journal of Technology, Learning and Assessment (JTLA) is a peer-reviewed, scholarly on-line journal addressing the intersection of computer-based technology, learning, and assessment." It looks like there are articles of interest in this journal.
Council of Writing Program Administrators.
"The Council of Writing Program Administrators is a national association of college and university faculty with professional interests in directing writing programs." Position statements, job postings, online archives of the journalWriting Program Administration, and more.
History of the WAC Movement: American Roots of Writing Across the Curriculum to 1970. Chapter 2 of Reference Guide to Writing Across the Curriculum. Charles Bazerman et al. © 2005 by Parlor Press and the WAC Clearinghouse.
Overview of writing across the curriculum in America.
Writing across the Curriculum. Campus Writing Program. University of Missouri-Columbia.
"[A]n entry for the Encyclopedia of English Studies and Language Arts, Alan C. Purves, ed. (National Council of Teachers of English, Volume II, 1994, pp. 1299–1302). Prepared by Martha A. Townsend, University of Missouri-Columbia."
Russell, David R. "Writing across the Curriculum and the Communications Movement: Some Lessons from the Past." College Composition and Communication, Vol. 38, No. 2. (May, 1987), pp. 184-194.
Discussion of two writing programs.
A Brief History of the Idea of Critical Thinking. The Critical Thinking Community.
Historical overview starting with Socrates.
Tintin. Copyright © Hergé / Moulinsart 2007.
Some material requires club membership.
Tintin & I. Anders Østergaard.
POV show shown on PBS about Hergé.
A Complete List of Biggles Books.
Plot summaries and publication information. See also Captain W E Johns page with listings by group.
International BIGGLES Association.
Brief info about the books, Captain W.E. Johns (the author), and detailed information about upcoming events.
Works by Isocrates. Internet Classics Archive.
A number of works by Isocrates, translated by George Norlin from the Perseus Project.
Feminist Rhetorics: Some sources. Rebecca Moore Howard. The Writing Program Syracuse University.
An extensive list of articles, chapters, and books.
Anne Waldman. Musuem of American Poetics.
Brief biographical information; list of publications, and more. Page has photos of her with Beat poets.
History of Children's Literature: A Pathfinder. Ellen Decker and Ruffin Priest. School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Books, online resources, bibliographies, subject headings, timelines, and more.
Social History of Children's Literature. Kay E. Vandergrift. SCILS, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey.
Links to information on related topics. Poses a number of questions.
Margaret Sanger Papers Project. Department of History. New York University.
Papers, copies of Sanger's newsletter, and more. See, for example.
Multitasking and Student Learning: Possible Explanations for a Growing Phenomenon. Clint Reddekopp. Graduate Student. Educational Communications and Technology. University of Saskatchewan. February, 2006.
Paper on the topic of multitasking. References.
How Multitasking Affects Human Learning. NPR.
Audio of "Weekend Edition Saturday, March 3, 2007 · Multitasking is part of daily life. But humans remember and learn differently when their attention is divided. Russel Poldrack, a UCLA psychology professor, speaks with Lynn Neary about what occurs in the brain during multitasking." See also text: Multi-tasking Adversely Affects Brain's Learning, UCLA Psychologists Report (Science Daily).
The New Modus Operandi: Techno Tasking. Alan E. Simon. American Association of School Administrators.
"Recognizing the ability of students to use multiple technologies simultaneously presents a new paradigm." Discusses teaching implications.
Books about Film. Bakchos Film Society.
List of books on film theory, silent films, film & society, censorship, more. Under construction.
The Evolution of the Summary News Lead. Marcus Errico et al. University of Southern California.
Nellie Bly in passing, but narrative style discussion applies.
Cochrane, Elizabeth (Nellie Bly). Matthew Lavelle. Pennsylvania Center for the Book.
Biographical information. List of works and sources.
History of American Journalism 1900s. Rick Musser. University of Kansas, School of Journalism & Mass Communications.
Brief entry on Bly, but useful context.
The Silent Readers. Alberto Manguel, Chapter 2 of A History of Reading (New York; Viking, 1996).
On Augustine, primarily. Entire book: Z1003 .M292 1996 Movable Shelves.
"Phrasikleia: An Anthropology of Reading in Ancient Greece." History of Reading News. Vol.XVII No.2 (1994: Spring) James T. Chambers. History of Literacy.
Book review. We have book: Z1003.5.G8 S9413 1993 Movable Shelves.
Web--On Writing
Narrative Writing. Copyright © 2007 by the Corporation for Educational Technology Funded by the Indiana General Assembly through the Indiana Department of Education
Definition. Gives uses and exercises. Links to definitions for descriptive writing, expository writing, narrative writing, persuasive writing, poetry, and technical writing.
Ancient Scripts: Writing Systems. Copyright © 1996-2005, Lawrence Lo.
Overview and some detail (sites says only 10% of all writing systems in the world) with classification by types, families, regions, and A-Z.
Introduction to a book on Writing Systems of the World. OzIdeas and Innovations.
Discussion of writing, put into context of speech, walking, and more. Links off to pages with related topics. See also, Comparing writing systems: Syllable writing systems.
Mesoamerican Writing Systems. Articles © 1997 Kevin L. Callahan. Angelfire.
A number of systems are described.
Writing Technical Articles. Gail Kaiser, Craig Partridge, Sumit Roy, Eric Siegel, Sal Stolfo, Luca Trevisan, Yechiam Yemini, and Erez Zadok.
" The notes below apply to technical papers in computer science and electrical engineering, with emphasis on papers in systems and networks."
Writing Systems. Vivian Cook.
A wide range of information on writing sytems. (CSU owns the first book by the author; libraries in Prospector own the second and third.)
The Numbers in Various Writing Systems. © 1996-2007 by Mark Rosenfelder.
1-10 in various systems and alphabets.
Writing Systems and Manuscripts. Rochelle I. Altman. (c) 1999.
Article on the topic. Bibliography.
Some Aspects of Older Writing Systems: With Focus on the DSS. (c) 1999, Rochelle I. S. Altman.
A "three-part article on the Phoenician/Hebraic Writing Systems is the result of discussions that began with the often ignored distinctions between a scribe and a calligrapher." Notes.
Sites on Scripts and Writing Systems. Peter Constable. SIL International.
"These are some sites on the Web with information about scripts, writing systems and orthographies. The intent is to provide links to sites that describe scripts and writing systems, as opposed to sites that provide content in various scripts and writing systems, or that provide computing resources such as fonts (though some of the sites do provide such resources)." Annotated links out, arranged by general and then geographically.
Gender and Creative Writing: A Bibliography. Susan Hubbard and Gail Stygall. 1997.
Annotated; "a wide range of critical texts that have implications for the study of gender's influences on the teaching and practice of creative writing."
Gender-Sensitive Language. The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill .
"This handout will explain some of the current thinking on gender issues and writing and will provide suggestions to help you appropriately express gender relationships as you write."
In all cases, be sure to evaluate what you find, no matter the source: book, article, Web page.