The Oxford Illustrated History Of The Book

"In 14 original essays, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book reveals the history of books in all their various forms, from the ancient world to the digital present. Leading international scholars offer an original and richly illustrated narrative that is global in scope. The history of the book is the history of millions of written, printed, and illustrated texts, their manufacture, distribution, and reception. Here are different types of production, from clay tablets to scrolls, from inscribed codices to printed books, pamphlets, magazines, and newspapers, from written parchment to digital texts. The history of the book is a history of different methods of circulation and dissemination, all dependent on innovations in transport, from coastal and transoceanic shipping to roads, trains, planes and the internet. It is a history of different modes of reading and reception, from learned debate and individual study to public instruction and entertainment. It is a history of manufacture, craftsmanship, dissemination, reading and debate. Yet the history of books is not simply a question of material form, nor indeed of the history of reading and reception. The larger question is of the effect of textual production, distribution and reception - of how books themselves made history. To this end, each chapter of this volume, succinctly bounded by period and geography, offers incisive and stimulating insights into the relationship between books and the story of their times."-- Provided by publisher "In 14 original essays, The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book reveals the history of books in all their various forms, from the ancient world to the digital present. Leading international scholars offer an original and richly illustrated narrative that is global in scope. 0The history of the book is the history of millions of written, printed, and illustrated texts, their manufacture, distribution, and reception. Here are different types of production, from clay tablets to scrolls, from inscribed codices to printed books, pamphlets, magazines, and newspapers, from written parchment to digital texts. The history of the book is a history of different methods of circulation and dissemination, all dependent on innovations in transport, from coastal and transoceanic shipping to roads, trains, planes and the internet. It is a history of different modes of reading and reception, from learned debate and individual study to public instruction and entertainment. It is a history of manufacture, craftsmanship, dissemination, reading and debate.0Yet the history of books is not simply a question of material form, nor indeed of the history of reading and reception. The larger question is of the effect of textual production, distribution and reception - of how books themselves made history. To this end, each chapter of this volume, succinctly bounded by period and geography, offers incisive and stimulating insights into the relationship between books and the story of their times."--Jaquette Cover......Page 1 Title Page......Page 4 Copyright Page......Page 5 Contents ......Page 6 List of Figures......Page 8 Notes on Contributors......Page 20 Timeline......Page 24 1. Introduction......Page 38 2. The Ancient World......Page 63 3. Byzantium......Page 91 4. Medieval and Early Modern East Asia......Page 121 5. Medieval Western Europe......Page 150 6. Renaissance and Reformation......Page 174 7. Managing Information......Page 206 8. The Islamic World......Page 232 9. Enlightenment and Revolution......Page 258 10. South Asia......Page 290 11. Industrialization......Page 318 12. Modern China, Japan, and Korea......Page 346 13. Globalization......Page 385 14. Books Transformed......Page 406 Abbreviations and Glossary......Page 432 Further Reading......Page 440 Picture Acknowledgements......Page 454 Index......Page 460 An edited volume mapping the history of the book, from the Ancient World through to the rapidly changing world of the book in the second decade of the 21st century.