{"id":"https://openalex.org/W1593983697","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","title":"The alphabetic labyrinth: the letters in history and imagination","display_name":"The alphabetic labyrinth: the letters in history and imagination","publication_year":1995,"publication_date":"1995-07-01","ids":{"openalex":"https://openalex.org/W1593983697","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","mag":"1593983697"},"language":"en","primary_location":{"id":"doi:10.5860/choice.32-6020","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2764375719","display_name":"Choice Reviews Online","issn_l":"0009-4978","issn":["0009-4978","1523-8253","1943-5975"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["cwts-core"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310316146","host_organization_name":"Association of College and Research Libraries","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310316146","https://openalex.org/P4310315903"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Association of College and Research Libraries","American Library Association"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Choice Reviews Online","raw_type":"journal-article"},"volume":null,"type":"book-review","indexed_in":["crossref"],"open_access":{"is_oa":false,"oa_status":"closed","oa_url":null,"any_repository_has_fulltext":false},"authorships":[],"institutions":[],"countries_distinct_count":0,"institutions_distinct_count":0,"corresponding_author_ids":[],"corresponding_institution_ids":[],"apc_list":null,"apc_paid":null,"fwci":null,"has_fulltext":false,"cited_by_count":89,"citation_normalized_percentile":null,"cited_by_percentile_year":null,"biblio":{"volume":"32","issue":"11","first_page":"32","last_page":"6020"},"is_retracted":false,"is_paratext":false,"is_xpac":false,"primary_topic":{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14386","display_name":"Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books","score":0.6845999956130981,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1202","display_name":"History"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},"topics":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/T14386","display_name":"Libraries, Manuscripts, and Books","score":0.6845999956130981,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1202","display_name":"History"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T13757","display_name":"Graphic Design and Typography","score":0.08910000324249268,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1207","display_name":"History and Philosophy of Science"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}},{"id":"https://openalex.org/T13198","display_name":"Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies","score":0.08550000190734863,"subfield":{"id":"https://openalex.org/subfields/1204","display_name":"Archeology"},"field":{"id":"https://openalex.org/fields/12","display_name":"Arts and Humanities"},"domain":{"id":"https://openalex.org/domains/2","display_name":"Social Sciences"}}],"keywords":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/alphabet","display_name":"alphabet","score":0.9459999799728394},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/letters-of-the-alphabet","display_name":"letters of the alphabet","score":0.8019999861717224},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/history-of-writing","display_name":"history of writing","score":0.7770000100135803},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/plato","display_name":"Plato","score":0.6069999933242798},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/pythagoreans","display_name":"Pythagoreans","score":0.8989999890327454},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/divination","display_name":"divination","score":0.6769999861717224},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/stenography","display_name":"stenography","score":0.8140000104904175},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/kabbalah","display_name":"Kabbalah","score":0.8080000281333923},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/alchemy","display_name":"alchemy","score":0.9750000238418579},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/christian-mysticism","display_name":"Christian mysticism","score":0.8360000252723694},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/nationalism","display_name":"nationalism","score":0.9100000262260437},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/political-theory","display_name":"political theory","score":0.6290000081062317},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/typography","display_name":"typography","score":0.5559999942779541},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/graphic-design","display_name":"graphic design","score":0.5899999737739563},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/religion-and-writing","display_name":"religion and writing","score":0.4519999921321869},{"id":"https://openalex.org/keywords/cosmology","display_name":"cosmology","score":0.5210000276565552}],"concepts":[{"id":"https://openalex.org/C124952713","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q8242","display_name":"Literature","level":1,"score":0.5696424841880798},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C142362112","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q735","display_name":"Art","level":0,"score":0.4103512465953827},{"id":"https://openalex.org/C95457728","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q309","display_name":"History","level":0,"score":0.3665974736213684}],"mesh":[],"locations_count":1,"locations":[{"id":"doi:10.5860/choice.32-6020","doi":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","is_oa":false,"landing_page_url":"https://doi.org/10.5860/choice.32-6020","pdf_url":null,"source":{"id":"https://openalex.org/S2764375719","display_name":"Choice Reviews Online","issn_l":"0009-4978","issn":["0009-4978","1523-8253","1943-5975"],"is_oa":false,"is_in_doaj":false,"is_core":true,"listed_in":["cwts-core"],"host_organization":"https://openalex.org/P4310316146","host_organization_name":"Association of College and Research Libraries","host_organization_lineage":["https://openalex.org/P4310316146","https://openalex.org/P4310315903"],"host_organization_lineage_names":["Association of College and Research Libraries","American Library Association"],"type":"journal"},"license":null,"license_id":null,"version":"publishedVersion","is_accepted":true,"is_published":true,"raw_source_name":"Choice Reviews Online","raw_type":"journal-article"}],"best_oa_location":null,"sustainable_development_goals":[],"study_designs":[],"awards":[],"funders":[],"has_content":{"grobid_xml":false,"pdf":false},"content_urls":null,"referenced_works_count":0,"referenced_works":[],"related_works":["https://openalex.org/W635100089","https://openalex.org/W2889570673","https://openalex.org/W628843166","https://openalex.org/W578159684","https://openalex.org/W7002524474","https://openalex.org/W4399280817","https://openalex.org/W3044616353","https://openalex.org/W587616458","https://openalex.org/W192246448","https://openalex.org/W7067400002"],"abstract_inverted_index":{"The":[0,18,64,93,117],"letters":[1,46,96,127,161],"of":[2,9,47,66,115,123,135,162,168,191,204],"the":[3,7,37,45,48,87,103,113,121,144,163,166,202],"alphabet":[4,49,164],"have":[5,50],"been":[6,51],"object":[8],"speculation":[10],"since":[11],"their":[12,26,136],"invention":[13,114],"almost":[14],"4000":[15],"years":[16],"ago.":[17],"symbols":[19],"represent":[20],"sounds,":[21],"yet":[22],"they":[23],"exist":[24],"in":[25,43,54,107,128,201],"own":[27,159],"right,":[28],"often":[29,40],"invested":[30],"with":[31,77,151],"quasi-magical":[32],"power.":[33],"This":[34,183],"book":[35,184],"examines":[36],"many":[38],"imaginative,":[39],"idiosyncratic":[41],"ways":[42],"which":[44],"assigned":[52],"value":[53],"political,":[55],"spiritual,":[56],"or":[57],"religious":[58],"belief":[59],"systems":[60],"over":[61],"two":[62],"millennia.":[63],"birth":[65],"writing":[67],"was":[68,75],"linked":[69],"to":[70,91,173,193],"religion":[71],"and":[72,74,99,132,139,146,153,171,176,188,198],"cosmology":[73],"endowed":[76],"semi-divine":[78],"status.":[79],"Plato":[80],"saw":[81,120],"letter-forms":[82],"as":[83,112],"reflecting":[84],"ideas,":[85],"while":[86,102],"Pythagoreans":[88],"assimilated":[89],"them":[90,106],"number-theory.":[92],"Greeks":[94],"employed":[95],"for":[97,180],"occult":[98],"divinatory":[100],"purposes,":[101],"Romans":[104],"used":[105],"more":[108],"practical":[109],"ways,":[110],"such":[111],"shorthand.":[116],"Middle":[118],"Ages":[119],"rise":[122],"further":[124],"theories":[125],"about":[126],"Christian":[129],"philosophy,":[130],"alchemy":[131],"Kabbalah.":[133],"Theories":[134],"divine":[137],"origin":[138],"mystical":[140,181],"significance":[141],"continued":[142],"into":[143],"18th":[145],"19th":[147],"centuries,":[148],"becoming":[149],"involved":[150],"nationalism":[152],"revolutionary":[154],"political":[155],"theory.":[156],"In":[157],"our":[158],"day":[160],"are":[165],"subject":[167],"scholarly":[169],"research,":[170],"inspiration":[172],"graphic":[174],"artists":[175],"a":[177],"fertile":[178],"field":[179],"speculation.":[182],"explores":[185],"this":[186],"realm,":[187],"should":[189],"be":[190],"interest":[192],"cultural":[194],"historians,":[195,197],"art":[196],"anyone":[199],"interested":[200],"history":[203],"typography.":[205]},"counts_by_year":[{"year":2024,"cited_by_count":10},{"year":2023,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2021,"cited_by_count":5},{"year":2019,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2018,"cited_by_count":5},{"year":2017,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2016,"cited_by_count":3},{"year":2015,"cited_by_count":2},{"year":2014,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2013,"cited_by_count":1},{"year":2012,"cited_by_count":2}],"updated_date":"2026-11-03T10:50:19.383937","created_date":"2016-06-24T00:00:00"}