The groundbreaking essay of our time

More than 500,000 copies sold
Published in over 40 countries

NATIONAL ESSAY AWARD • EL OJO CRÍTICO AWARD
AWARD FROM THE MADRID BOOKSTORES ASSOCIATION
FOR NARRATIVE • BOOKSTORES RECOMMEND AWARD
JOSÉ ANTONIO LABORDETA AWARD • BÚHO AWARD FOR BEST BOOK

In this fascinating work about the origins of the book, Irene Vallejo delves into the history of an incomparable artifact that was born five millennia ago, when the Egyptians discovered the potential of a reed they called papyrus. With great sensitivity and admirable narrative skill, the author travels back to the battlefields of Alexander, the palaces of Cleopatra, the first bookstores, and the workshops of manuscript copying, but also visits the bonfires where forbidden codices burned, the Sarajevo library, and the underground labyrinth of Oxford in the year 2000. Times merge and reforge in the collective adventure of those who have only conceived life in the company of the written word. And this unique essay ultimately extends the infinite dialogue that it so masterfully discusses.

What the critics say:
“It is a delight to read the prose of Irene Vallejo, creative, brilliant, full of sensitivity.”
Luis Landero

“A very original book: the history of books, the alphabet, libraries... told with erudition and charm, a sense of humor and elegance, drawing parallels with the present.”
Laura Freixas

“Very well written, with truly admirable pages; the love of books and reading is the atmosphere in which the pages of this masterpiece unfold. I am absolutely certain it will continue to be read when its current readers are already in the afterlife.”
Mario Vargas Llosa

“Those books that break you in, tame you, impose the reading rhythm, calm your nerves, are not usually found, despite being so necessary, among the top lines of new releases. The latest one I discovered is titled El infinito en un junco and is by Irene Vallejo.”
Juan José Millás, El País