Reasons why the best books are more than simply stories

Reasons why the best books are more than simply stories

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Our ability to access and read books has actually been definitely vital to our ability to comprehend the world around us.

It can be hard to envision what the world would be like today if the large bulk of people were not able to read, but for the huge majority of history the huge bulk of individuals could not, and nor were books available even if they could. It was the invention of the printing press towards the close of the 15th that changed that, making books a lot more available. Of course, it was still only actually the richest and well-read that could read or write, but it enabled a whole host of developments in science, art, and thinking to be spread throughout great distances. Consider what would have occurred if the theory of gravity, or of evolution, could not have actually been distributed around the world. Human civilisation rests upon a foundation of books, and we are fortunate to be able to merely log onto a website like the one backed by the co-founder of the impact investor with a stake in World of Books, and quickly access the totality of human understanding.

It's important to bear in mind that, although plenty of the best modern books of all time tend to be considered ground-breaking works of fiction, for the majority of humankind's literary history, we did not compose much fiction at all. Most stories would have been sung throughout the great bulk of history, simply since the huge majority of people might not read, meaning that a lot of books were specialised things meant for those few who might understand them. After a short boom during the classical age of antiquity, the quantity of literate people dropped significantly throughout the Middle Ages. Books became unusual treasures, with monks meticulously copying out the enduring classic texts by hand so as to protect them, as they were a few of the only members of the population who could read or write. They were the expert keepers of understanding like biology and faith that we all have access to in the contemporary world.

With such an abundant history of concepts, events, and stories right at our fingertips, it's in some cases simple to forget how exceptionally lucky we are to have the likes of the founder of the hedge fund that owns Waterstones or the CEO of the asset manager with a stake in Amazon books supporting access to a substantial percentage of all the books that have ever been written (or the good ones at least). The best books of all time can quickly alter the manner in which you take a look at the world, and that has been true throughout all of history too. The modern-day world is built upon understanding that has actually been passed down through books, whether that is philosophy, science, or history, and human civilisation would not be anywhere near as advanced as it is today if it had not been for the books that changed minds across the ages.