Mysteries of the Alphabet (Hardcover, illustrated edition)

Where did the letter A come from? What does the word alphabet actually mean? Why is the letter O round? Why does the word mama begin with the letter M ? From ancient pictograms created in the Sinai Desert some 3,500 years ago to the characters of our Western alphabet, Mysteries of the Alphabet explains the origin and evolution of writing. Each of the twenty-six letters is examined in turn; we learn, for example, that the letter A was originally drawn as a bull's head; over the centuries the bull was turned on its head, the horns becoming the legs of the A. And the letter O dates back to ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia, where it was represented by an eye, therefore round. The book is enriched with a wealth of visual material, including charts, tables, photographs, and illustrations of Egyptian, Greek, Hebrew, and Sumerian artifacts and inscriptions.

Mysteries of the Alphabet is a treasure trove of fascinating historical facts and insights into one of man's greatest achievements.