Princeton University Press Information: A Short History

"An essential guide to the ways information has shaped and been shaped by societies. Thanks to recent advances, we now enjoy seemingly unlimited access to information. How did information become so central to our everyday lives? This book traces the global emergence of information practices and technologies across pivotal epochs and regions, providing invaluable historical perspectives on the ways information has shaped and been shaped by societies. Featuring the core articles from the ultimate referencebook Information: A Historical Companion, this short history will appeal to anyone seeking to understand our modern mania for an informed existence. The book: Tells the story of information's rise from the premodern era to today, exploring how diverse cultures have created, managed, and shared facts and knowledge; Takes readers from the medieval Islamic world to late imperial East Asia, and from early modern and modern Europe to contemporary North America; Covers a broad range of topics, such as networks, bureaucracy, publicity, propaganda, censorship, privacy, intellectual property, digitization, telecommunications, storage and search, and much moreIncludes a new introduction, suggested further readings, and a glossary of key terms"-- "A paperback spinoff from Information: A Historical Companion that presents an accessible introductory history of information from premodern practices to twenty-first-century information culture"-- An essential guide to the ways information has shaped and been shaped by societiesThanks to recent advances, we now enjoy seemingly unlimited access to information. How did information become so central to our everyday lives? This book traces the global emergence of information practices and technologies across pivotal epochs and regions, providing invaluable historical perspectives on the ways information has shaped and been shaped by societies. Featuring the core articles from the ultimate reference book Information: A Historical Companion, this short history will appeal to anyone seeking to understand our modern mania for an informed existence. The book:Tells the story of information’s rise from the premodern era to today, exploring how diverse cultures have created, managed, and shared facts and knowledgeTakes readers from the medieval Islamic world to late imperial East Asia, and from early modern and modern Europe to contemporary North AmericaCovers a broad range of topics, such as networks, bureaucracy, publicity, propaganda, censorship, privacy, intellectual property, digitization, telecommunications, storage and search, and much moreIncludes a new introduction, suggested further readings, and a glossary of key termsBrings together an international team of experts, including Jeremy Adelman, Devin Fitzgerald, John-Paul Ghobrial, Lisa Gitelman, Randolph C. Head, Richard R. John, Elias Muhanna, Thomas S. Mullaney, Carla Nappi, Craig Robertson, Daniel Rosenberg, Will Slauter, and Heidi Tworek Autorid: Ann Blair, Paul Duguid, Anja-Silvia Goeing, Anthony Grafton