The Book History Reader brings together a rich variety of writings examining different aspects of the history of books and print culture, much of which is otherwise inaccessible. It looks at the development of the book, the move from spoken word to written texts, the commodification of books and authors, the power and profile of readers, and the future of the book in the electronic age. The Reader is arranged in thematic sections and features a general introduction as well as an introduction to each section.This pioneering book is a valuable resource for all those involved in book publishing studies and book history as well as students of English literature, cultural studies, sociology and history.Essays by: Thomas Adams and Nicholas Barker, Richard Altick, Roland Barthes, C.A. Bayly, Pierre Bourdieu, John Brewer, Michel de Certeau, Roger Chartier, Robert Darnton, Elizabeth Eisenstein, Lucien Febrve and Henri-Jean Martin, N.N. Feltes, Kate Flint, Stanley Fish, Michel Foucault, Wolfgang Iser, Adrian Johns, Jerome McGann, Don McKenzie, Jennifer E. Monaghan, Jan Dirk Muller, Walter Ong, Robert Patten, Janice Radway, Jonathan Rose, Mark Rose, John Sutherland, Jane Tompkins, James L.W. West III Read Less