The 2,000-Year History of Paper

Nicholas A. Basbanes talks about paper—from its invention in China 2000 years ago through all of its uses to record history, make laws, conduct business, and establish identities. In On Paper: The Everything of Its Two-Thousand-Year History, Basbanes looks at paper’s important role in the world and historical events such as the Stamp Act of 1765, the Zimmerman Telegram that led to America’s entry into World War I, the Alger Hiss spy case, the Pentagon Papers, and Watergate.