Marc Van De Mieroop is Professor of History at Columbia University. His previous books include The Ancient Mesopotamian City, Philosophy before the Greeks, and, as coauthor, World in the Making: A Global History.
With his latest book, Before and After Babel, Van De Mieroop homes in on the history of writing, and the result is arguably his most impressive book to date...Van De Mieroop's prose is crisp and easy to follow; his argument is clearly stated and always grounded in concrete case studies. Whether as an intervention in the history of writing-both cuneiform and alphabetic-or as a mine of fascinating case studies, Before and After Babel is sure to reach a wide audience. * Sophus Helle, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *