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Review There isn't much about papyrus here, nor the invention of books. There is a lot about ancient Egypt, the Library In Alexandria, ancient Greece and women's position in it. Also lots of the author's personal opinions and reminiscences. What it looks like is that the author has decided that if it appeared in an ancient book, then she can discuss it and if it didn't appear in an ancient book (but might have or should have) then she can discuss that too!

I got more and more annoyed until this final giant paragraph when I'd had enough. See how you think it relates to the title. I have paragraphed it because it was an impossible wodge, it was just one paragaph.

Like Charlie Chaplin, Aristophanes embodies rebellious, dissident laughter. In fact, I have always thought this pair’s humor has the feel of a family, one where Chaplin would be the genial cousin and Aristophanes the sarcastic grandpa.

Both were interested in ordinary, vulnerable people; their heroes are never among the elite. In the guise of the Tramp, Chaplin appears as a vagrant, as an escaped prisoner, as an immigrant, as an alcoholic, as a worker down on his luck, or as a famished miner in search of gold.

The protagonists of Aristophanes’s comedies are people—men and women—without the assets of nobility; they are tricksters, tax-dodgers crippled by debt, people weary of war, seeking sex and merriment, foul-mouthed and perhaps not starving, but always dreaming of stuffing their faces with lentils, meat, and pies.

The Tramp identifies with orphans and single mothers, falls in love with beggar women, and, when he sees the chance, delivers a kick in the rear to an unsuspecting policeman. He has the audacity to ridicule the filthy rich, business tycoons, immigration officials, haughty World War I soldiers, and even Hitler himself.

Aristophanes’s creations, of a similar stripe, attempt to end a war by means of a sex strike, occupy the Athenian Assembly to decree the institution of communal property, make fun of Socrates, or propose to cure the god of wealth’s shortsightedness so he can do a better job of distributing assets. After a series of unruly adventures and intrigues, all of these works end in a festive, teeming, Pantagruelian banquet.

Both Aristophanes and Chaplin ran into problems with the law.

It doesn't read as if an editor got within sniffing distance of it. 2 stars. I reserve one for despicable, hateful books and this wasn't that at all. Just boring and wasn't what it said on the tin.
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Reading notes The blurb says this book is 'enthralling'. Obviously written by a blurb writer and not anyone who had read the book. I'm on the 5th chapter and every now and again the author talks about the Library of Alexandria, but mostly it is history, Greece, Egypt, Cleopatra, Alexander. Kind of boring. I thought it might at least start at the beginning with the history of how the first book came about, and before paper there was... papyrus. I wanted to read about papyrus.

I hope this improves because it is a bit early in the year to start with dnfs.