A Companion to the History of the Book

by Simon Eliot (Editor), Jonathan Rose (Editor)

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.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Books About Books, Reference

616 pages, Hardcover

First published June 11, 2007

Reviews

[Corvo]

this helped me get a good grade on my paper so 4/5 thanks

[Elizabeth]

The things I liked about this anthology only marginally outweighed those that I didn't. This is straightforward history of the dullest variety. Nothing analytical. That said, it's hugely comprehensive, not only in terms of the time it spans, but also its geography. I was impressed with the depth of knowledge that went into some of the pieces (particularly those giving information about "the book" in international frameworks). Other pieces seemed under-researched (which is only exacerbated with everything is under-theorized, at least in my mind). There are definitely pieces here that would be useful to assign as background (particularly to an undergraduate book history course), and I don't want to imply that I didn't learn a lot. I guess at the end of the day I've been thoroughly poisoned against history that doesn't go beyond an attempt to present facts.

[Masood Akhtar]

A comprehensive guide about the history of book from ancient to modern times. All aspects related to book making from the origin till date around the world. All details may not be relevant to all readers.

[Nanette]

This book is a collection of essays on the subject of the history of the book. While many are very interesting and engaging, others are extremely dry and difficult to read through.

[Mauricio Villamayor]

This book gives a good overview of the history of books. Although has chapters about Asia and South America developments on books, its overall view is too focus on European/NorthAmerican history.

[Jennifer]

Long but interesting.