The Demon of Writing: Powers and Failures of Paperwork

A history and theory of the powers, the failures, and even the pleasures of paperwork.

Since the middle of the eighteenth century, political thinkers of all kinds—radical and reactionary, professional and amateur—have been complaining about “bureaucracy. ” But what, exactly, are they complaining about?

In The Demon of Writing , Ben Kafka offers a critical history and theory of one of the most ubiquitous, least understood forms of media: paperwork. States rely on records to tax and spend,...