Notes of a Bibliophile. Why Books Have Power Over Us

In her incredibly captivating narrative, Oxford professor and Shakespeare specialist Emma Smith discusses the history of books, a centuries-old and remarkably interesting story, emphasizing not the familiar image of «archives of wisdom and knowledge», but the material forms in which books have appeared, and how they have often served different purposes.
Presenting an exciting and radically new history of the book in the hands of humanity, the author seeks answers to the questions of when and how it acquired power over us. By discussing the immense role that books have played in people's lives for a whole millennium, Smith makes a surprising discovery that the characteristic and quite powerful magic of books is born not only from their content but also from their form. From the Diamond Sutra to a book made from slices of cheese wrapped in cellophane, this complex artistic object has contained and expanded the relationships between readers, countries, ideologies, and cultures for many centuries, doing so very decisively and unpredictably.
«Every book promises its reader transformation. The expectation of change is part of the invisible contract between books and their readers. In this sense, all books are books about how to help oneself. If we don't find pleasure or connection with any book, it means we are stubbornly evading the duties we are supposed to fulfill according to our contract with it». (Emma Smith)