Ian Sansom holds paper up to the light and traces our relationship with its many forms. From maps to book burnings and fiduciary issue to forgery, he transcends the page. Through labels and adverts, art, board games, jigsaws, stamps and origami, he enfolds us in his fascination. His homage to the material on which his words are printed offers a shrewd observation about the folkloric power of the forests that spawn the trees required. He points out the role of paper in shaping the built environment: the architectural blueprint underpins construction, and wallpaper may well adorn your abode. Under intriguing chapter titles (one saluting Nick Drake's Five Leaves Left ), he flicks through the crumpled anthropology of paper as it rustles its way from China and Japan to envelop the West. Weaving cool counterculturalists such as William Burroughs with a sturdy presentation of science and innovation, he renders strange and magnificent something we take for granted. This is an erudite compendium of the world of paper. Take a leaf out of it.
