“In the beginning was the word”, which represented concepts and objects, and has materialised in various ways over time – from being carved into clay tablets to being displayed on digital screens. According to Jack Goody (1993), the invention of writing has changed our cognitive processes, influenced economics, religion, law, etc. Unlike oral communication, writing enabled the key building blocks of rational thought, of analytical reasoning (Lyons 2014). Once written down, the word becomes the carrier of human memory, culture and history, as Jaro Dolar (1982), who refers to books as “The Memory of Humankind”, has neatly summarised. For the written word, which becomes a medium with the help of books, to reach readers required the invention of the printing press, and then institutions such as bookstores and libraries, which made books accessible to the general public. A public whose key player is the reader, the individual who, through a process of socialisation, has acquired the ability to read and understand what is written (Gabrič 2011). Episkop 3 continues by exploring the Goriška region, searching for traces of the book in both public and private spaces, and examining the development of literacy in comparison with Goriška's neighboring areas.

The essay is followed by a short account of music literacy in Goriška in the 18th century by Metoda Kokola.