Drawing a mammoth on a cave wall, bookkeeping on papyrus, etching magic symbols on a tortoiseshell: writing preserves a record of our activities, our rules and ideas. It has been, by turns, a vector of knowledge, a tool for domination, and a symbol of resistance. Indeed, writing enables us to legislate as well as pen love letters. Through it, cultures express themselves and imaginations are born. Nor has this wonderful invention ceased to evolve.