Publisher Description

A COMPANION TO THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK A COMPANION TO
THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK Edited by Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer." Choice "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history Of the book ... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended. "
Adrian Johns, Technology and Culture From the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of the electronic text, this Companion provides a continuous and coherent account of the history of the book. A team of expert contributors draws on the latest research in order to offer a cogent, transcontinental narrative. Many of them use illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts, conveying the excitement surrounding this rapidly developing field. The Companion is organized around four distinct approaches to the history of the book. First, it introduces the variety of methods used by book historians and allied specialists, from the long-established discipline of bibliography to newer IT-based approaches. Next, it provides a broad chronological survey of the forms and content of texts. The third section situates the book in the context of text culture as a whole, while the final section addresses broader issues, such as literacy, copyright, and the future of the book. Contributors to this volume: Michael Albin, Martin Andrews, Rob Banham, Megan L Benton, Michelle P. Brown, Marie-Frangoise Cachin, Hortensia Calvo, Charles Chadwyck-Healey, M. T. Clanchy, Stephen Colclough, Patricia Crain, J. S. Edgren, Simon Eliot, John Feather, David Finkelstein, David Greetham, Robert A. Gross, Deana Heath, Lotte Hellinga, T. H. Howard-Hill, Peter Kornicki, Beth Luey, Paul Luna, Russell L. Martin Ill, Jean-Yves Mollier, Angus Phillips, Eleanor Robson, Cornelia Roemer, Jonathan Rose, Emile G. L Schrijver, David J. Shaw, Graham Shaw, Claire Squires, Rietje van Vliet, James Wald, Rowan Watson, Alexis Weedon, Adriaan van der Weel, Wayne A. Wiegand, Eva Hemmungs Wirtén.

Back Cover

A COMPANION TO THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer." Choice "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history Of the book ... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended. " Adrian Johns, Technology and Culture From the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of the electronic text, this Companion provides a continuous and coherent account of the history of the book. A team of expert contributors draws on the latest research in order to offer a cogent, transcontinental narrative. Many of them use illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts, conveying the excitement surrounding this rapidly developing field. The Companion is organized around four distinct approaches to the history of the book. First, it introduces the variety of methods used by book historians and allied specialists, from the long-established discipline of bibliography to newer IT-based approaches. Next, it provides a broad chronological survey of the forms and content of texts. The third section situates the book in the context of text culture as a whole, while the final section addresses broader issues, such as literacy, copyright, and the future of the book. Contributors to this volume: Michael Albin, Martin Andrews, Rob Banham, Megan L Benton, Michelle P. Brown, Marie-Fran

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A COMPANION TO THE HISTORY OF THE BOOK "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer." Choice "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history Of the book ... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended. " Adrian Johns, Technology and Culture From the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of the electronic text, this Companion provides a continuous and coherent account of the history of the book. A team of expert contributors draws on the latest research in order to offer a cogent, transcontinental narrative. Many of them use illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts, conveying the excitement surrounding this rapidly developing field. The Companion is organized around four distinct approaches to the history of the book. First, it introduces the variety of methods used by book historians and allied specialists, from the long-established discipline of bibliography to newer IT-based approaches. Next, it provides a broad chronological survey of the forms and content of texts. The third section situates the book in the context of text culture as a whole, while the final section addresses broader issues, such as literacy, copyright, and the future of the book. Contributors to this volume: Michael Albin, Martin Andrews, Rob Banham, Megan L Benton, Michelle P. Brown, Marie-Fran

Author Biography

Simon Eliot is Professor of the History of the Book in the Institute of English Studies, part of the School of Advanced Study in the University of London, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Manuscript and Print Studies. He is General Editor of the new multivolume History of Oxford University Press and editor of the journal Publishing History. His publications include Literary Cultures and the Material Book (2007) and Some Patterns and Trends in British Publishing, 1800–1919 (1994). Jonathan Rose is the William R. Kenan Professor of History at Drew University. He was the founding president of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing and is co-editor of the journal Book History. His publications include The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes (2001), The Holocaust and the Book: Destruction and Preservation (2001), and British Literary Publishing Houses, 1820—1965 (1991).

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations viii Notes on Contributors x Introduction 1
Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose Part I Methods and Approaches 7 1 Why Bibliography Matters 9
T. H. Howard-Hill 2 What is Textual Scholarship? 21
David Greetham 3 The Uses of Quantifi cation 33
Alexis Weedon 4 Readers: Books and Biography 50
Stephen Colclough Part II The History of the Material Text 63 The World before the Codex 65 5 The Clay Tablet Book in Sumer, Assyria, and Babylonia 67
Eleanor Robson 6 The Papyrus Roll in Egypt, Greece, and Rome 84
Cornelia Roemer The Book beyond the West 95 7 China 97
J. S. Edgren 8 Japan, Korea, and Vietnam 111
Peter Kornicki 9 South Asia 126
Graham Shaw 10 Latin America 138
Hortensia Calvo 11 The Hebraic Book 153
Emile G. L. Schrijver 12 The Islamic Book 165
Michael Albin The Codex in the West 400–2000 177 13 The Triumph of the Codex: The Manuscript Book before 1100 179
Michelle P. Brown 14 Parchment and Paper: Manuscript Culture 1100–1500 194
M. T. Clanchy 15 The Gutenberg Revolutions 207
Lotte Hellinga 16 The Book Trade Comes of Age: The Sixteenth Century 220
David J. Shaw 17 The British Book Market 1600–1800 232
John Feather 18 Print and Public in Europe 1600–1800 247
Rietje van Vliet 19 North America and Transatlantic Book Culture to 1800 259
Russell L. Martin III 20 The Industrialization of the Book 1800–1970 273
Rob Banham 21 From Few and Expensive to Many and Cheap: The British Book Market 1800-1890 291
Simon Eliot 22 A Continent of Texts: Europe 1800–1890 303
Jean-Yves Mollier and Marie-Françoise Cachin 23 Building a National Literature: The United States 1800-1890 315
Robert A. Gross 24 The Globalization of the Book 1800-1970 329
David Finkelstein 25 Modernity and Print I: Britain 1890-1970 341
Jonathan Rose 26 Modernity and Print II: Europe 1890-1970 354
Adriaan van der Weel 27 Modernity and Print III: The United States 1890–1970 368
Beth Luey 28 Books and Bits: Texts and Technology 1970–2000 381
Paul Luna 29 The Global Market 1970–2000: Producers 395
Eva Hemmungs Wirten 30 The Global Market 1970–2000: Consumers 406
Claire Squires Part III Beyond the Book 419 31 Periodicals and Periodicity 421
James Wald 32 The Importance of Ephemera 434
Martin Andrews 33 The New Textual Technologies 451
Charles Chadwyck-Healey Part IV Issues 465 34 New Histories of Literacy 467
Patricia Crain 35 Some Non-textual Uses of Books 480
Rowan Watson 36 The Book as Art 493
Megan L. Benton 37 Obscenity, Censorship, and Modernity 508
Deana Heath 38 Copyright and the Creation of Literary Property 520
John Feather 39 Libraries and the Invention of Information 531
Wayne A. Wiegand Coda 545 40 Does the Book Have a Future? 547
Angus Phillips Index 560

Review

"This companion will provide a sound point of reference for situation the book, whatever it may yet become, in its proper historical and sociological context." (Australian Academic & Research Libraries, March 2010) "This is a must-have volume for anyone (or any library) with an interest in the history of books and book culture." (Libraries & the Cultural Record, Winter 2009) "This book has many uses for book historians as a reflection of the field now, in its present state." (Library Quarterly, May 2009) "Eliot and Rose have produced a definitive survey to which specialists as well as lay readers will find themselves returning frequently for information and analytical insight." (SHARP News, Winter 2008) "Eliot and Rose have recruited some exceptional contributors.... The round-the-world coverage also makes for an enjoyable and dippable compendium." (Times Literary Supplement, November 2008) "The considerable learning distilled in these pages is worn lightly and the result is a volume that will appeal to experts and non-specialists alike. It will also prove to be a valuable teaching resource." (Zeitschrift fur Anglistik and Amerilanistik, October 2008) "A Companion to the History of the Book provides a wealth of information to readers of all levels in a well laid out and written volume." (The Bonefolder, Autumn 2008) "Academic libraries with any kind of interest in the history of the book or the history of publishing will want this 'companion' on their shelves." (Publishing Research Quarterly, July 2008) "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer. Recommended." (CHOICE) "An exceptional resource for anyone working in fields such as literature, history, cultural studies or media studies—to name a few. Drawing on a large group of experts, Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose have compiled a selection of essays that guide readers through many episodes in the long history of books, both inside and outside the Western tradition.... A Companion to the History of the Book is just that—a companion … an essential text for students and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines who are led to ask questions about the commissioning, publication, distribution and consumption of books. This book is a milestone in the history of the book for it makes the first attempt to map the field like no other book before it." (Script and Print) "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, they imply, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history of the book.... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended as the best available starting point for any historian interested in learning about this enterprise.... The Companion does not restrict itself to chronicling the development of the book itself. It also devotes attention to regimes of regulation and jurisdiction—censorship, intellectual property, and the like—and to systems of storage and taxonomy: libraries and bibliography." (Technology and Culture) "This book serves as a coherent guide to the study of the history of the book. The experts bring the latest research to their work." (Umbrella Magazine)

Long Description

From the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of the electronic text, this Companion provides a continuous and coherent account of the history of the book. A team of expert contributors draws on the latest research in order to offer a cogent, transcontinental narrative. Many of them use illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts, conveying the excitement surrounding this rapidly developing field. The Companion to the History of the Book is organized around four distinct approaches to the history of the book. First, it introduces the variety of methods used by book historians and allied specialists, from the long-established discipline of bibliography to newer IT-based approaches. Next, it provides a broad chronological survey of the forms and content of texts. The third section situates the book in the context of text culture as a whole, while the final section addresses broader issues, such as literacy, copyright, and the future of the book.

Review Text

"This companion will provide a sound point of reference for situation the book, whatever it may yet become, in its proper historical and sociological context." (Australian Academic & Research Libraries, March 2010) "This is a must-have volume for anyone (or any library) with an interest in the history of books and book culture." (Libraries & the Cultural Record, Winter 2009) "This book has many uses for book historians as a reflection of the field now, in its present state." (Library Quarterly, May 2009) "Eliot and Rose have produced a definitive survey to which specialists as well as lay readers will find themselves returning frequently for information and analytical insight." (SHARP News, Winter 2008) "Eliot and Rose have recruited some exceptional contributors.... The round-the-world coverage also makes for an enjoyable and dippable compendium." (Times Literary Supplement, November 2008) "The considerable learning distilled in these pages is worn lightly and the result is a volume that will appeal to experts and non-specialists alike. It will also prove to be a valuable teaching resource." (Zeitschrift fur Anglistik and Amerilanistik, October 2008) "A Companion to the History of the Book provides a wealth of information to readers of all levels in a well laid out and written volume." (The Bonefolder, Autumn 2008) "Academic libraries with any kind of interest in the history of the book or the history of publishing will want this 'companion' on their shelves." (Publishing Research Quarterly, July 2008) "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer. Recommended." (CHOICE) "An exceptional resource for anyone working in fields such as literature, history, cultural studies or media studies?to name a few. Drawing on a large group of experts, Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose have compiled a selection of essays that guide readers through many episodes in the long history of books, both inside and outside the Western tradition.... A Companion to the History of the Book is just that?a companion ? an essential text for students and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines who are led to ask questions about the commissioning, publication, distribution and consumption of books. This book is a milestone in the history of the book for it makes the first attempt to map the field like no other book before it." (Script and Print) "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, they imply, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history of the book.... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended as the best available starting point for any historian interested in learning about this enterprise.... The Companion does not restrict itself to chronicling the development of the book itself. It also devotes attention to regimes of regulation and jurisdiction?censorship, intellectual property, and the like?and to systems of storage and taxonomy: libraries and bibliography." (Technology and Culture) "This book serves as a coherent guide to the study of the history of the book. The experts bring the latest research to their work." (Umbrella Magazine)

Review Quote

"This companion will provide a sound point of reference for situation the book, whatever it may yet become, in its proper historical and sociological context." ( Australian Academic & Research Libraries , March 2010) "This is a must-have volume for anyone (or any library) with an interest in the history of books and book culture." ( Libraries & the Cultural Record, Winter 2009) "This book has many uses for book historians as a reflection of the field now, in its present state." ( Library Quarterly , May 2009) "Eliot and Rose have produced a definitive survey to which specialists as well as lay readers will find themselves returning frequently for information and analytical insight." ( SHARP News , Winter 2008) "Eliot and Rose have recruited some exceptional contributors.... The round-the-world coverage also makes for an enjoyable and dippable compendium." ( Times Literary Supplement , November 2008) "The considerable learning distilled in these pages is worn lightly and the result is a volume that will appeal to experts and non-specialists alike. It will also prove to be a valuable teaching resource." ( Zeitschrift fur Anglistik and Amerilanistik , October 2008) "A Companion to the History of the Book provides a wealth of information to readers of all levels in a well laid out and written volume." ( The Bonefolder , Autumn 2008) "Academic libraries with any kind of interest in the history of the book or the history of publishing will want this 'companion' on their shelves." ( Publishing Research Quarterly , July 2008) "As a stimulating overview of the multidimensional present state of the field, the Companion has no peer. Recommended." ( CHOICE ) "An exceptional resource for anyone working in fields such as literature, history, cultural studies or media studies--to name a few. Drawing on a large group of experts, Simon Eliot and Jonathan Rose have compiled a selection of essays that guide readers through many episodes in the long history of books, both inside and outside the Western tradition.... A Companion to the History of the Book is just that--a companion ... an essential text for students and scholars from a wide variety of disciplines who are led to ask questions about the commissioning, publication, distribution and consumption of books. This book is a milestone in the history of the book for it makes the first attempt to map the field like no other book before it." ( Script and Print ) "If you want to understand how cultures come into being, endure, and change, they imply, then you need to come to terms with the rich and often surprising history of the book.... Eliot and Rose have done a fine job. Their volume can be heartily recommended as the best available starting point for any historian interested in learning about this enterprise.... The Companion does not restrict itself to chronicling the development of the book itself. It also devotes attention to regimes of regulation and jurisdiction--censorship, intellectual property, and the like--and to systems of storage and taxonomy: libraries and bibliography." ( Technology and Culture ) "This book serves as a coherent guide to the study of the history of the book. The experts bring the latest research to their work." ( Umbrella Magazine )

Feature

A coherent, transcontinental account of the history of the book
Ranges from the early Sumerian clay tablet through to the emergence of electronic text
Makes use of illustrative examples and case studies of well-known texts
Written by a group of expert contributors
Covers topical debates, such as the nature of censorship and the future of the book

Details