A rich and imaginative discovery of how ink has shaped culture and why it is here to stay Ink is so much a part of daily life that we take it for granted; yet its invention was as significant as the wheel. Ink not only recorded culture; it bought political power; divided peoples; and led to murderous rivalries. Ancient letters on a page were revered as divine light; and precious ink recipes were held secret for centuries. And; when it first hit markets not so long ago; the excitement over the disposable ballpoint pen equalled that for a new smartphonemdash;with similar complaints to the manufacturers. Curious about its impact on culture; literature; and the course of history; Ted Bishop sets out to explore the story of ink. From Budapest to Buenos Aires; he traces the lives of the innovators who created the ballpoint penmdash;revolutionary technology that still requires exact engineering today. Bishop visits a ranch in Utah to meet a master ink-maker who relishes igniting linseed oil to make traditional printersrsquo; ink. In China; he learns that ink can be an exquisite object; the subject of poetry; and a means of strengthening (or straining) family bonds. And in the Middle East; he sees the worldrsquo;s oldest Qurrsquo;an; stained with the blood of the caliph who was assassinated while reading it. An inquisitive and personal tour around the world; The Social Life of Ink asks us to look more closely at something we see so often that we donrsquo;t see it at all.
#2305635 in eBooks 2014-09-02 2014-09-02File Name: B00MSYV1RC
Review
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful. ehh its ok.By h-manits written ok... loved jims flaming lips bio; but this reads more like a list of albums to check out; loosely put together by genre. paragraph or two about a band and then it moves on. oh well. not horrible. not horribly insightful either.10 of 12 people found the following review helpful. Outstanding psych (and neo-psych) historyBy Peter SykesTop music critic Jim DeRogatis does an outstanding job with a very difficult topic. As the manager of the Psychedelic 100 website I can attest to the fact that trying to identify what exactly makes a piece of music psychedelic is not always an easy thing. But DeRogatis does not claim to write definitively -- he simply states a very well-informed point of view that is as open-ended and subject to healthy debate as the music about which he writes.The "Ultimate Psychedelic Rock Library" appendix is a handy reference to the 189 albums DeRogatis considers to be the cream of the crop. Those with an eye on the stars should note that most negative reviews listed here focus on the fact that the book is simply an update of an earlier edition published under another title. In short; if you have Kaleidoscope Eyes you probably dont need this unless you are a rabid completist. With that in mind; this book certainly deserves much better than the three stars it was averaging at the time of writing this review.2 of 5 people found the following review helpful. disappointing...By jim warnerI didnt realize this is just a slightly updated version of Kaleidoscope Eyes;which Derogatis published;and I purchased;in 1996.The book itself is great;but I wouldnt have bought it a second time if id known it had been the same book that was simply re-titled.
