A place for everything : the curious history of alphabetical order

Few of us think much of the alphabet and its familiar sing-song order once we've learned it as children. And yet the order of the alphabet, that simple knowledge that we take for granted, plays far more of a role in our lives than we usually consider. From the school register to the telephone book, from dictionaries and encyclopaedias to the library shelves, our lives are ordered from A to Z. This magical system of organization not only guides us to the correct bus route or train schedule or the jar of coriander seeds between the cinnamon and the cumin in the supermarket, but it also, in the library or the bookshop, gives us the ability to sift through centuries of thought and writing, of knowledge and literature. Alphabetical order allows us to sort, to file and to find the information we have, and to locate the information we need. In this entirely original new book, Judith Flanders draws our attention both to the neglected ubiquity of the alphabet and the long and complex history of its rise to prominence. For it was not ever thus. While the order of the alphabet itself became fixed very soon after our letters were first invented, its use to sort and store and organize proved far less obvious. To many of our forebears, the idea of organizing things by the alphabet rather than by established systems of hierarchy lay somewhere between unthinkable and disrespectful. Any order that placed archangel after angel and God after them both would have been tantamount to blasphemy. A Place for Everything fascinatingly uncovers the story of the gradual triumph of alphabetical order, from its early days as a possible sorting tool in the Great Library of Alexandria in the third century BCE to its current decline in our age of Wikipedia and Google. Along the way we encounter a wonderful potpourri of characters and stories, from the great collector Robert Cotton, who denominated his manuscripts with the names of the busts of the Roman emperors surmounting his bookcases (the sole known copy of Gawain and the Green Knight, now in the British Library, is still identified as Cotton Nero A.x), to the invention of the lever-arch file; from the Diamond Sutra, the world's first known block-printed book, six hundred years before Gutenberg, to the unassuming sixteenth-century London bookseller who ushered in a revolution by listing his authors by 'sirname' first. Judith Flanders, one of Britain's leading popular historians, takes us on an enlightening journey through the history of our age-old obsession – long before Marie Kondo – with sorting our stuff. 'marvellous...i Read It With Astonished Delight..it Is Equally Scholarly And Entertaining.' Jan Morris 'delightfully Quirky And Compelling' The Times One We've Learned It As Children Few Of Us Think Much Of The Alphabet And Its Familiar Sing-song Order. And Yet The Order If The Alphabet, That Simple Knowledge That We Take For Granted, Plays A Major Role In Our Adult Lives. From The School Register To The Telephone Book, From Dictionaries And Encyclopaedias To Library Shelves, Our Lives Are Ordered From A To Z. Long Before Google Searches, This Magical System Of Organisation Gave Us The Ability To Sift Through Centuries Of Thought, Knowledge And Literature, Allowing Us To Sort, To File, And To Find The Information We Have, And To Locate The Information We Need. In A Place For Everything, Acclaimed Historian Judith Flanders Draws Our Attention To Both The Neglected Ubiquity Of The Alphabet And The Long, Complex History Of Its Rise To Prominence. For, While The Order Of The Alphabet Itself Became Fixed Very Soon After Letters Were First Invented, Their Ability To Sort And Store And Organize Proved Far Less Obvious. To Many Of Our Forebears, The Idea Of Of Organising Things By The Random Chance Of The Alphabet Rather Than By Established Systems Of Hierarchy Or Typology Lay Somewhere Between Unthinkable And Disrespectful. A Place For Everything Fascinatingly Lays Out The Gradual Triumph Of Alphabetical Order, From Its Possible Earliest Days As A Sorting Tool In The Great Library Of Alexandria In The Third Century Bce, To Its Current Decline In Prominence In Our Digital Age Of Wikipedia And Google. Along The Way, The Reader Is Enlightened And Entertained With A Wonderful Cast Of Unknown Facts, Characters And Stories From The Great Collector Robert Cotton, Who Denominated His Manuscripts With The Names Of The Busts Of The Roman Emperors Surmounting His Book Cases, To The Unassuming Sixteenth- Century London Bookseller Who Ushered In A Revolution By Listing His Authors By 'sirname' First. 'A delightfully quirky sturdy . . . [Flanders] is a meticulour historian with a taste for the offbeat; the story of the alphabet suits her well . . . Fascinating.' Sunday Times Once we've learned it as children, few of us think much of the alphabet and its familiar sing-song order. And yet the order of the alphabet continues to play a major role in our adult lives. From school registers to electoral rolls, from dictionaries and encyclopaedias to library shelves, our lives have been ordered from A to Z. Long before Google searches, this magical system of organization gave us the ability to sort through centuries of thought, knowledge and literature, allowing us to sift, file, and find the information we have, and to locate the information we need. In A Place for Everything , acclaimed historian Judith Flanders fascinatingly lays out the gradual triumph of alphabetical order, from its use as a sorting tool in the Great Library of Alexandria to its current decline in prominence in the digital age. Along the way, the reader encounters a wonderful cast of characters,from the great collector Robert Cotton, who catalogued his manuscripts by the names of the busts of the Roman emperors surmounting his book cases, to the unassuming sixteenth-century London bookseller who ushered in a revolution by listing his authors by 'sirname' first. 'One of the many fascinations of Judith Flanders' book is that it reveals what a weird, unlikely creation the alphabet is.' Guardian A is for antiquity: from the beginning to the classic world -- B is for the Benedictines: the monasteries and the Early Middle Ages -- C is for categories: authorities and organization, to the twelfth century -- D is for distinctiones: the High Middle Ages and the search tool -- E is for expansion: the reference work in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries -- F is for firsts: from the birth of printing to library catalogs in the fifteenth to sixteenth centuries -- G is for government: bureaucracy and the office, from the sixteenth century to the French Revolution -- H is for history: libraries, research, and extracting in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries -- I is for index cards: from copy clerks to office supplies in the nineteenth century -- Y is for Y2K: from the phone book to hypertext in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries -- Timeline In A Place for Everything, historian Judith Flanders draws our attention to both the neglected ubiquity of the alphabet and the long, complex history of its rise to prominence. For, while the order of the alphabet itself became fixed very soon after letters were first invented, their ability to sort and store and organize proved far less obvious. To many of our forebears, the idea of of organising things by the random chance of the alphabet rather than by established systems of hierarchy or typology lay somewhere between unthinkable and disrespectful. The author fascinatingly lays out the gradual triumph of alphabetical order, from its possible earliest days as a sorting tool in the Great Library of Alexandria in the third century BCE, to its current decline in prominence in our digital age of Wikipedia and Google. Provides a 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. Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z. --From publisher description A celebration of the alphabet, from its beginnings to its pre-eminence as the organizing principle for the world's knowledge.