Dr. Johanna Drucker Traces the Origins of the Alphabet

By Eric Ely-Ledesma. PhD Candidate

Free Public Lecture – 4:30 P.M. Tuesday, September 20 at the Chazen Museum of Art Auditorium

“A B C D E F G…Now I know my ABCs, next time won’t you sing with me?” If you grew up in the United States, chances are you are familiar with the alphabet song. Apart from learning your ABCs as a child, how much further thought have you given to the foundation of our communication system?

The alphabet is so fundamental it is easy to take for granted, but it has a rich story. Dr. Johanna Drucker, the Breslauer Professor of Bibliographical Studies and Distinguished Professor in the Department of Information Studies at UCLA, traces the history of the alphabet and our contemporary understanding of its origins and development in her new book, Inventing the Alphabet: The Origins of Letters from Antiquity to the Present (University of Chicago Press, Jul 26, 2022).

The Friends of UW-Madison Libraries are pleased to welcome Dr. Drucker – whose research interests lay at the confluence of printmaking, visual arts, design, and book history – to campus for a talk Tuesday, September 20 at the Chazen Museum of Art Auditorium. Her remarks will begin at 4:30, with a reception at 5:30 that includes refreshments and book-signing opportunities.

Read the full article on the Friends’ site!