Books by Florian (Gerhard-Mercator-Universitaet Duisburg) Coulmas

* The first comprehensive reference work on writing systems and the study of writing* Describes more than 400 writing systems past and present* Includes over 500 illustrations, many never previously published* An essential reference for scholars throughout the Humanities and Social Sciences. .

This book is an account of the writing systems of the world from earliest times to the present. Its aim is to explore the complex ways in which writing systems relate to the language they depict. Writing, Coulmas contends, is not only the guide or garment of spoken language, but has a deep and lasting effect on the development of language itself.