Alexander Monro

Just as paper allowed authors a more independent voice and a higher word count, so it also enabled them to listen to the voices of many others, even those hundreds of miles away.

Paper has been the evangelist of many of the convictions that shaped history, carrying them to distant lands or simply to a groundswell of people who could never otherwise have absorbed them. Propagandist, tyrant, democratizer, tool, inventor, magician and technician all in one, paper’s power lies in its absence of personality. Quietly, inexpensively and often slowly, it has seeped around the world, and history’s most galvanizing ideas have hitched a lift on its surface.

Among the samples the author provides is one called ‘A Letter Regarding Wine’. It has been evocatively translated by Lionel Giles, who first catalogued the documents Stein sent to the British Museum in the early twentieth century. Yesterday, having drunk too much, I was so intoxicated as to pass all bounds; but none of the rude and coarse language I used was uttered in a conscious state. The next morning, after hearing others speak on the subject, I realised what had happened, whereupon I was overwhelmed with confusion and ready to sink into the earth in shame. It was due to a vessel of small capacity being filled for the nonce too full. I humbly trust that you in your wise benevolence will not condemn me for my transgression. Soon I will come to apologise in person, but meanwhile I beg to send this written communication for your kind inspection. Leaving much unsaid, I am yours respectfully…28