An excellent and very accessible introduction to the world of epigraphy, paleography, and Northwest Semitic inscriptions. Rollston is a clear and concise writer, and his arguments in favor of lower literacy rates in ancient Israel and Judah are cogent. While Rollston believes that various elite groups (e.g., military officers, priests), not just trained scribes, were capable of reading and writing, he finds it unlikely that literacy was widespread throughout the ancient Levant. The epigraphic evidence he puts forth in favor of his arguments is quite impressive. This book piqued my interest in all things epigraphic and inscriptional, and I’d highly recommend this book to anyone else who might want to get a helpful overview of the topic.