A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781541675070)

From a New York Times-bestselling historian comes the story of how the alphabet ordered our world. A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification -- Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules -- libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games -- it has remained curiously invisible. With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z.

A Times (UK) Best Book of 2020

Author: Judith Flanders
ISBN-10: 154167507X
ISBN-13: 9781541675070
Publisher: Basic Books
Language: English
Published: 10/20/2020
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.30h x 6.30w x 1.40d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2020
Choice 09/01/2021