The document traces the history of the book from early clay tablets and cuneiform writing used by Sumerians in 3500 BC, to papyrus scrolls developed in Egypt in 2400 BC, to the modern paperback novels and e-readers. Key developments include the Greeks perfecting parchment in 500-200 BC, the Chinese inventing paper in 105 AD, Johannes Gutenberg inventing the printing press using movable type in 1455, and the introduction of paperback novels in the 19th century which led to the modern e-readers.