After fact-checking a couple of the statements made in TEDed’s video, The History of Books, I found a couple of errors. For example, the video said that Egyptian papyrus paper dated back to 4000 BCE, but according to Ancient History Encyclopedia, the production of papyrus paper went all the way back to 6000 BCE. The video also says that Nicolas Jenson invented the typeface “Times Roman,” but upon further research, Brittanica says he developed the “Roman” font. Finally, I might be reaching here, but I found it kind of troubling that the speaker dismissed the Sumerian or Mesopotamian-looking tablet as a book. It might not be the traditional layered paper book but it still contains “knowledge and understanding,” as Merriam-Webster defines it.
Work Cited
“Book.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/book.
Mark, Joshua J. “Egyptian Papyrus.” Ancient History Encyclopedia, Ancient History Encyclopedia, 10 Dec. 2020, www.ancient.eu/Egyptian_Papyrus/.
“Nicolas Jenson.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., www.britannica.com/biography/Nicolas-Jenson.
