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In Our Time

Melvyn Bragg presents five programmes devoted to the written word, and how it has shaped our intellectual history

Radio 4,5 episodes

Episodes

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The Written World
Episode 5
How the invention of writing made the scientific revolution of the Enlightenment possible.
06 Jan 2012,30 mins
The Written World
Literature
How the written word, originally used for accountancy, gave rise to human literature.
05 Jan 2012,30 mins
The Written World
Episode 3
How the invention of writing influenced the spread of religion.
04 Jan 2012,28 mins
The Written World
Episode 2
Melvyn considers the impact of the invention of the book.
03 Jan 2012,30 mins
The Written World
Episode 1
How making signs on clay, wood or parchment enabled the development of human culture.
02 Jan 2012,30 mins