Throughout human history, the world's knowledge and fruits of the creative imagination have been produced, circulated and received through the medium of the material text. This Companion provides a wide-ranging account of the history of the book and its ways of thinking about works from ancient inscription to contemporary e-books, discussing thematic, chronological and methodological aspects of this interdisciplinary field. The first part considers book cultures from local, national and global perspectives. Part two, organized around the dynamic relationship between the material book and the mutable text, develops a loosely chronological narrative from early writing, through manuscript and early printing, to the institution of a mechanized book trade, and on to the globalization of publishing and the introduction of the electronic book. A third part takes a practical turn, discussing methods, sources and approaches: bibliographical, archival and reading experience methodologies, as well as pedagogical strategies.

Provides an accessible but challenging introduction to the field, with contributions from leading international scholars

Discusses a wide range of approaches from thematic, chronological and methodological perspectives

Includes a chronology, glossary of technical terms and guide to further reading

Editor

Leslie Howsam, University of Windsor, Ontario

Leslie Howsam is University Professor in the Department of History at the University of Windsor, Ontario. She is author or editor of seven significant books and numerous articles, most notably Old Books and New Histories: An Orientation to Studies in Book and Print Culture (2006) and Past into Print: The Publishing of History in Britain, 1850–1950 (2009).

Contributors

Leslie Howsam, Karen Attar, Trish Loughran, Sydney Shep, Peter Stoicheff, Margaret J. M. Ezell, Adrian Johns, Cyndia Clegg, James Raven, Alistair McCleery, Jon Bath, Scott Schofield, Michael F. Suarez, S.J., Katherine Bode, Roger Osborne, Mary Hammond