Book cover of White Magic: The Age of Paper

Book description

Paper is older than the printing press, and even in its unprinted state it was the great network medium behind the emergence of modern civilization. In the shape of bills, banknotes and accounting books it was indispensible to the economy. As forms and files it was essential to bureaucracy. As…


When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked White Magic as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Müller takes up the story of the Kingdom of Paper by illustrating that the Kingdom was still firmly in place by 1932 when paper was omnipresent and indispensable in and for modern civilization. 

He focuses on paper as more than just a writing surface, especially on its physical, material form, as a product of civilization, something which does not occur naturally in the world but instead requires a technology to produce. This leads him into the great boom in Western paper mills and the realization that we are after all still living in what Marshall McLuhan called the “Gutenberg era”…

From John's list on the history of paper.

If you love White Magic...

Ad

Book cover of The High House

The High House by James Stoddard,

The Victorian mansion, Evenmere, is the mechanism that runs the universe.

The lamps must be lit, or the stars die. The clocks must be wound, or Time ceases. The Balance between Order and Chaos must be preserved, or Existence crumbles.

Appointed the Steward of Evenmere, Carter Anderson must learn the…

Want books like White Magic?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 16 books like White Magic.

Browse books like White Magic

Book cover of Writing on the Wall: Social Media - The First 2,000 Years
Book cover of The Paper Trail: An Unexpected History of a Revolutionary Invention
Book cover of Paper Before Print: The History and Impact of Paper in the Islamic World

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,210

readers submitted
so far, will you?

Ad

📚 If you like White Magic, you might also like...

Book cover of Aggressor

Aggressor by FX Holden,

It is April 1st, 2038. Day 60 of China's blockade of the rebel island of Taiwan.

The US government has agreed to provide Taiwan with a weapons system so advanced that it can disrupt the balance of power in the region. But what pilot would be crazy enough to run…

Book cover of The Duke's Christmas Redemption

The Duke's Christmas Redemption by Arietta Richmond,

A Duke who has rejected love, a Lady who dreams of a love match, an arranged marriage, a house full of secrets, a most unneighborly neighbor, a plot to destroy reputations, an unexpected love that redeems it all.

Lady Charlotte Wyndham, given in an arranged marriage to a man she…

5 book lists we think you will like!