Why people recommend it
Papyrus by Irene Vallejo is a narrative history of books and the written word in the ancient world, tracing the origins of libraries, scrolls, and literature. Ryan Holiday strongly recommended the work on The Daily Stoic, telling Ezra Klein that he found it incredible and sharing it as a top reading choice. Holiday also reflected on the title in a separate episode celebrating ten years of his own writing, noting that he had recently read the book and found it fascinating. Furthermore, filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola appeared on The Daily Stoic and discussed the volume, noting that it covers the history of paper and early writings. Coppola highlighted a specific detail from the author regarding how ancient scrolls were stored in boxes that typically held seven scrolls, differentiating them from modern book formats. Through these podcast appearances, the book gained recognition for its engaging storytelling about ancient intellectual history and the physical evolution of literature, appealing to historians, filmmakers, and contemporary writers interested in classical antiquity.
Who recommended it
- Ryan Holiday Recommended
Ryan Holiday — 3 mentions
“Well, so you the first one you already read. No, I'm not sure if I fully so I Uh, this book is great. Have you read this? Yeah. Okay. I thought this was incredible. So good. So good. All right, well then if you've read this one then the other one I would give you is papyrus by Irene Vallejo”
“Actually, I just read this book called Papyrus which is incredible.”
“I was just reading this book called Papyrus I'm just so excited to tell you this so I was just reading this book called Papyrus which is about the history of paper and the early writings”