The reason why the best books are more than simply stories

The reason 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 is necessary to remember that, although plenty of the best modern books of all time tend to be regarded as ground-breaking works of fiction, for most of humanity's literary history, we did not write much fiction at all. Many stories would have been sung throughout the great majority of history, just since the large bulk of individuals might not read, indicating that the majority of books were specialised things meant for those few who might comprehend them. After a quick boom throughout the classical period of antiquity, the quantity of literate people dropped considerably throughout the Middle Ages. Books ended up being unusual treasures, with monks fastidiously copying out the enduring timeless texts by hand so as to protect them, as they were a few of the only members of the populace who could read or write. They were the expert keepers of knowledge like biology and religion that we all have access to in the modern world.

It can be hard to imagine what the world would resemble today if the huge bulk of individuals were not able to read, but for the large majority of history the vast bulk of individuals might not, and nor were books available even if they could. It was the creation of the printing press towards the close of the 15th that changed that, making books a lot more accessible. Of course, it was still just actually the wealthiest and well-educated that could read or write, but it enabled a whole host of developments in science, art, and thinking to be spread out across great distances. Consider what would have happened if the theory of gravity, or of evolution, could not have been dispersed around the world. Human civilisation rests upon a structure of books, and we are lucky to be able to simply log onto a site like the one backed by the co-founder of the impact investor with a stake in World of Books, and quickly gain access to the totality of human knowledge.

With such a rich history of concepts, occasions, and stories right at our fingertips, it's sometimes easy to forget how exceptionally fortunate 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 huge proportion of all the books that have actually ever been written (or the good ones at least). The best books of all time can quickly alter the way that you take a look at the world, which has been true throughout all of history too. The contemporary world is built upon understanding that has been passed down through books, whether that is ideology, 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.