An Atlas of Endangered Alphabets

This impressive volume, organised geographically, sets out information on 80 writing systems in danger of being lost or replaced by majority scripts like Latin, Arabic, Cyrillic or Devanagari. It includes history and current state of each one, samples of use, and pointers to sources of further information. It is an invaluable guide for anyone interested in this aspect of threatened cultures around the world. – Peter Austin, Emeritus Professor, SOAS University of LondonAn Atlas of Endangered Languages is a voyage of visual expression, which illuminates the spiritual bond between languages and their writing systems. It reminds us of the culture, ecology, and mythic resonance in every glyph. Read it. You’ll end up curious about what makes us different, proud of what makes us the same, and eager to explore what will no doubt feel like a larger, more lovely world. – Daniel Bögre Udell, Co-Founder and Executive Director of WikitonguesAn Atlas of Endangered Alphabets could perfectly well be bought as a “coffee table book” (get it on your festive wishlist now!) - it looks beautiful, and you can dip in whenever you feel like it for a nugget of fascinating information. But it is much more than that. This is a call to action: these rich cultural traditions won’t be around much longer if their users continue to struggle against political oppression, language loss and lack of resources - so we must all act while we can, however we can. – Dr Philippa M. Steele, Principal Research Associate, Faculty of Classics, University of CambridgeWriting is art, language, design, and engineering rolled into one. Every script tells the story of the linguistic and material worlds in which it thrives. Tim Brookes’ journey through this rich terrain is a global tour de force just when these sumptuous scripts are at their most vulnerable. His work is an invitation to pick up your pen, brush, or quill and fill your page with joyous swirls. – Daniel Harbour FBA, Professor of the Cognitive Science of Language, Queen Mary University of LondonThis book … is a brilliant achievement. – Chris Moseley, Foundation for Endangered Languages

Tim Brookes is universally regarded as the pioneer and authority in the field of script loss and revitalization on a global scale. Tim’s hand-carvings of endangered scripts have been exhibited at over 150 leading universities, galleries and libraries. He is a frequent speaker on the importance of minority scripts at institutions including the Bodleian Library, the Smithsonian Institute and the Library of Congress.