Biblio - Mania!!!

I chose to research the history of literacy for my annotated bibliography - I'm fascinated with how the transition from orality to literacy affects society. so i began in the library - i may have cheated, i wasn't too sure how we were and weren't supposed to find sources, so to get the ball rolling, i did a simple search of the library database for history of literacy. this led me to my first source. the other sources i found after this came in one of two ways. first, looking up what books the author had referenced , then doing the same with those books, then doing the same with those. there were also several interesting and applicable books on the shelves near books i was already looking for, so by just wandering the shelves a bit while searching for three books, i ended up with six. the process was very informative - as i found that nearly all the good books are on the bottom shelf, so you have to get down on your knees ans look like a fool to find good sources. it is also interesting to note that print knowledge enables a link to other knowledge resources - creating a web of knowledge that builds on itself perpetually (have you ever played the game where you have to connect one celebrity to another by the costars of the movies they've been in? it would be kinda fun to try to connect subjects or books by what books have referenced what other books)

so anyways - here's my bibliography - Enjoy!!

Historical Literacy:

Friedmann, Fredrick G., The Hoe and the Book: an Italian Experiment in Community Development, Cornell University Press, 1960. This book follows the efforts of a group called the UNLA (translated name is association for the fight against illiteracy) who advocate and promote literacy for rural Italian citizens with the belief that higher literacy leads to higher Quality of life. though this is a more modern source - the question of the benefits of literacy is pointedly addressed and could be applied top ancient civilizations.

Havelock, Eric A., The Literate Revolution in Greece and its Cultural Consequences, Princeton University Press, 1982. this book examines the cultural impacts that occurred from the shift in ancient Greek society because of the shift from orality to literacy. it examines the problems of transcribing the oral code of a people into a written code, the relationship between sound and sign, the preliteracy of the Greeks, the recording of homer's works and other things.

Havelock, Eric A., The Muse Learns to Write, Reflections on Orality and Literacy from Antiquity to Present, Yale University Press, 1986. This book's focus is on what happens in societies when the shift from orality to literacy is made. especially telling is the Greek shift from orality to literacy. Havelock states "the way we use our senses and the way we think are connected, and ... in the transition from Greek orality to Greek literacy the terms of this connection were altered, with the result that thought patterns were altered also, and have remained altered..."

Hezser, Catherine. Jewish Literacy in Roman Palestine: texts and studies in ancient Judaism. 2001. this book is an in depth analysis of ancient Jewish literacy. it traces the writings and literacy of biblical-era Jews, grecco-roman Jews, educational opportunities for each, including an examination of ancient Jewish educational institutions. other subjects discussed include the existence of archives and libraries, the distribution and ownership of books, the social status of literates and the view of illiteracy, and others.

Houston, R. A., Scottish Literacy and the Scottish Identity: illiteracy and society in Scotland and England 1600-1800, Cambridge university press, 1985. This book examines the literate revolution of Scotland from the 1600s to the 1800s. this includes the reasons for literacy and an analysis of literacy vs orality. Houston states; "We must question the simplistic notion of a non-literate society as somehow a culturally substandard version of a literate one"

Soltow, Lee, The Rise of Literacy and the Common School in the United States: a socioeconomic analysis to 1870. this is a book about literacy in early American history. it examines literacy by time periods - prior to 1840, and 1840-1870, with other studies and examples from similar time frames. this book is a socioeconomic analysis, giving a summary of the economic consequences of illiteracy in this time frame, but since economy plays an integral role in culture, this may be an interesting filter through which to view the cultural impact of literacy as well.