Frontmatter -- Contents -- List of figures -- Introduction -- Part I. The Socio-Economic Nature of Literacy -- Chapter 1. Functional Literacy -- Chapter 2. Critical Literacy -- Chapter 3. From Literacy to Literacies -- Chapter 4. Literacy and Language Choice -- Part II. Sign -- Chapter 5. Understanding Sign -- Chapter 6. Writing -- Chapter 7. Writing through Time -- Chapter 8. The Nature of Writing -- Part III. The Language of Literacy -- Chapter 9. Basic Differences between Speech and Writing -- Chapter 10. Dimensions of Difference between Spoken and Written Language -- Chapter 11. Written Language in Context -- Part IV. Literacy as Mind -- Chapter 12. Social Practice and a Socio-historical Theory of Mind -- Chapter 13. Great Divide Theory -- Chapter 14. Literacy and Patterns of Mind -- Part V. Conclusions -- Chapter 15. The Social Nature of Literacy -- Glossary -- References -- Index