Origins of the Word "Book"

"For a long time papyrus was the medium of choice. The word is believed to be of Egyptian origin, as is the plant. The Greeks referred to papyrus as byblos, after Byblus, the Phoenician City that was a center of papyrus exportation. Hence we have the Greek word for book, biblion, which in turn gave us the English word "bible," "The Book." 

Henry Petroski - from The Book on the Bookshelf

Available via CLICnet: http://clicnet.clic.edu/record=b1861840