This book is the story of an invention that remains shrouded in mystery: writing. It is now almost certain that the conception of this invention occurred multiple times throughout human history from scratch.

How did people each time arrive at this revolutionary idea? What prompted them to write? China, Egypt, Mexico, Mesopotamia, Cyprus, and Crete. The enigmas of the islands, the organization of cities and empires.

Experiments with writing and solitary inventions, the systems of Easter Island and the Indus Valley, which have not yet been deciphered, the Voynich manuscript, the dark khipu of the Incas, the Phaistos disc, and many others.

Silvia Ferrara takes us on a journey to discover the scripts created from scratch and those that remain undeciphered to this day, not only amidst the secrets of history but also within the meanders of our minds.

The Greatest Invention is a journey into our limitless ability to generate stories and symbols, a trip made of sibylline inscriptions, brilliant ideas from the past, current scientific research, and the vague, unpredictable echo of the writing of the future.

"With what artistry Silvia Ferrara shares her academic wisdom with non-specialists! A great book that reads like a novel..." Études, Revue de culture contemporaine.

"If anyone doubts that the distant past deserves as much attention as the future envisioned by the author, this book will convince them. Furthermore, this book can ignite a new passion; it may even change a life." Booklist