The Book History Reader

by David Finkelstein (Editor), Alistair McCleery (Editor)

Following on from the widely successful first volume, this second edition has been updated and expanded to create an essential collection of writings examining different aspects of the history of books and print culture. Arranged in thematic sections, bringing together a wide range of contributors, and featuring introductions to each section, this new edition: This pioneering book is a vital resource for all those involved in publishing studies, library studies, book history and also those studying English literature, cultural studies, sociology and history.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Reference, Academic, Books About Books, Essays, Textbooks

576 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2001

About the author

Professor David Finkelstein (BA, PhD, FEA, FRHistS, FRSA) is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Business at the University of Plymouth.

He has published over 70 published books, essays and refereed journal articles in areas related to nineteenth-century cultural history, print culture and media history, several of which have won awards.

His most recent work includes Movable Types: Roving Creative Printers of the Victorian World (Oxford University Press, 2018), and the 850 page edited Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press, Volume 2: Expansion and Evolution, 1800 - 1900 (Edinburgh University Press, 2020).

Reviews

[HeyT · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yet another entry on my history of books required readings list. This book covers a wide variety of topics concerning book history from a wide variety of sources. The topics range from the theoretical like what exactly book history entails to excerpts about certain time frames. I found many of the chapters to be difficult to understand without the context in which they came from. More than one of my classmates found the writings to be a bit esoteric and theory heavy.

[Oliver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, so, I definitely did not read the whole thing of this - it is very long and full of theory! I just read about 7 or 8 selections for English class. I can't say that any of them were a thrilling read, but definitely gave me some things to think about. This is also my first encounter with Foucault, Barthes, and all those guys. Also, I'm excited to know that Book History is an actual field.

[Wagrobanite · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a horrible book! The writers are all very pretentious and their writing style makes it so you can't understand anything they are writing about. Has nothing to do with the history of the book except it's a bunch of essays. Definitely do not waste your money on this book!

[Avery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually some really interesting book history, including the founding of Book of the Month!

[March · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is not gonna be read from cover to cover, that's that.
I am putting it in the new "reference" shelf, because it really is just that - a reference book that I might consult every now and then for a project, or for fun, or for whatever.
It's a great book, though, of essays in book studies by prominent commentators in the field. Essays are really good, but very dense, so need to be taken in een beetje at a time, every now and then.

[Kathie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book cover to cover twice. Oddly, this book was assigned in two different courses in a graduate school. Once during a summer course! That course required this book and History of the Book and other external readings to be read in an 8-week course (painful summer). It is dense with information and a scholarly work. If not assigned, I would think of it more as a reference book.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

nonfiction,history,bibliography

[Aaron]

Just started it.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yawn! Some articles were interesting, others made me want scream with their never ending convoluted sentences. I tnk most people read this for college and anyone else is probably a bit nuts.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately the "History of the Book" section was already outdated even when the book was published.

[Abby Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the articles were interesting and well-written, others were boring and very dry.