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Episode 2
Melvyn Bragg considers the impact of the invention of the book and examines some of the earliest surviving examples.
In the second instalment of his survey of the written word, Melvyn Bragg traces the evolution of writing technology from the time of classical antiquity to the invention of printing. He discovers the origins of the book, and encounters the earliest surviving intact example in the Western world.Producer: Thomas Morris.
Last on
Tue 3 Jan 201221:30
BBC Radio 4
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- Tue 3 Jan 201209:00BBC Radio 4
- Tue 3 Jan 201221:30BBC Radio 4
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