The Reader In The Book: A Study Of Spaces And Traces (oxford Textual Perspectives)

__The Reader in the Book__ is concerned with a particular aspect of the history of the book, an archeology and sociology of the use of margins and other blank spaces. One of the most commonplace aspects of old books is the fact that people wrote in them, something that, until very recently, has infuriated modern collectors and librarians. But these inscriptions constitute a significant dimension of the book's history, and what readers did to books often added to their value. Sometimes marks in books have no relation to the subject of the book, merely names, dates, prices paid; blank spaces were used for pen trials and doing sums, and flyleaves are occasionally the repository of records of various kinds. __The Reader in the Book__ deals with that special class of books in which the text and marginalia are in intense communication with each other, in which reading constitutes an active and sometimes adversarial engagement with the book. The major examples are works that are either classics or were classics in their own time, but they are seen here as contemporaries read them, without the benefit of centuries of commentary and critical guidance. The underlying question is at what point marginalia, the legible incorporation of the work of reading into the text of the book, became a way of defacing it rather than of increasing its value--why did we want books to lose their history? This work is concerned with a particular aspect of the history of the book, an archeology and sociology of the use of margins and other blank spaces. One of the most commonplace aspects of old books is the fact that people wrote in them, something that, until very recently, has infuriated modern collectors and librarians. But these inscriptions constitute a significant dimension of the book's history, and what readers did to books often added to their value. Sometimes marks in books have no relation to the subject of the book, merely names, dates, prices paid; blank spaces were used for pen trials and doing sums, and flyleaves are occasionally the repository of records of various kinds. This volume deals with that special class of books in which the text and marginalia are in intense communication with each other, in which reading constitutes an active and sometimes adversarial engagement with the book. The major examples are works that are either classics or were classics in their own time; but they are seen here as contemporaries read them, without the benefit of centuries of commentary and critical guidance. The underlying question is at what point marginalia, the legible incorporation of the work of reading into the text of the book, became a way of defacing it rather than of increasing its value - why did we want books to lose their history? A Study Of The Archaeology And Sociology Of The Use Of Margins And Other Blank Spaces. Marginalia Constitute A Significant Dimension Of The Book's History, And What Readers Did To Books Often Added To Their Value. This Study Deals With Books In Which The Text And Marginalia Are In Intense Communication With Each Other, In Which Reading Constitutes An Active And Sometimes Adversarial Engagement With The Book. The Underlying Questions Is At What Point Marginalia, The Legible Incorporation Of The Work Of Reading Into The Text Of The Book, Became A Way Of Defacing It Rather Than Of Increasing Its Value--why Did We Want Books To Lose Their History? List Of Illustrations -- Reading In Action -- Learning Latin -- Writing From The Stage -- Spenser From The Margins -- Scherzo: The Insatiate Countess And The Puritan Revolution -- Reading With The Countess Of Pembroke And Montgomery -- Coda: A Note From The Future -- Bibliography -- Index. Stephen Orgel. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 161-165) And Index. Cover 1 The Reader in the Book: A Study of Spaces and Traces 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Acknowledgments 7 Contents 10 List of Illustrations 11 1: Reading in Action 16 2: Learning Latin 45 3: Writing from the Stage 65 4: Spenser from the Margins 99 5: Scherzo: The Insatiate Countess and the Puritan Revolution 129 6: Reading with the Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery 153 7: Coda: A Note from the Future 173 Bibliography 176 Index 182 List of Illustrations1: Reading in Action2: Learning Latin3: Writing for the Stage4: Spenser from the Margins5: Scherzo: The Insatiate Countess and the Puritan Revolution6: Reading with the Countess of Pembroke and Montgomery7: Coda: A Note from the FutureBibliographyIndex