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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.
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.
464 pages, Hardcover
First published July 1, 2020
22 people are currently reading
329 people want to read
About the author
James Raven
49 books24 followersJames Russell Raven (born 13 April 1959) is a British scholar specializing in the history of the book. His published works include The English Novel 1770-1829 (2000), The Business of Books (2007), and What is the History of the Book? (2018). As of 2019, he was Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Essex.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
November 14, 2022
Läste utvalda kapitler för kursmaterial.
March 10, 2021
The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book collects scholarly essays on the human written record, from earliest archaeological finds to the latest e-readers. Since books are by nature visual media, many photographs illustrate the development of writing and publishing around the world.
Going into this, I was curious to see if developments in the non-western world were included. They were, in spades. Several chapters are wholly devoted to Asia: Medieval and Early Modern East Asia; South Asia (spanning ancient history to the modern period); Modern China, Japan, and Korea. Asian history shows up in the chapter on the ancient world, too, which covers the earliest extant examples around the world. There’s a chapter on the Islamic world, and of course that region overlaps with work on Byzantine books. While they don’t get devoted chapters, the continents of Africa and North and South America are present.
In an edited volume such as this, quality can vary widely from chapter to chapter. Yet, in this particular volume, I found a consistent enthusiasm for the subject, utter respect for historical books in the widest definition, and excellent attention to illustration. The lauded authors do not frown upon e-readers and the digitalization of reading (see quotation below, and a Goodreads shout out). Eleanor Robson broadens the definition of “book” to include khipu (systematized knotted records) and its antecedents, and the winter count on hides in North American Plains tribes. Due to my interest in church history, I was really pleased to learn about the Garima Gospels and medieval manuscript storage. Book piracy in Enlightenment Europe, Chinese bamboo concertina books, Victor Hugo’s role in international copyright law--it’s all here.
An invaluable volume to reference again and again, History of the Book will be useful to anyone about the history of books, writing, and reading around the world. Where this book fails, its works cited steps in. For any fantasy writers/worldbuilders out there, I recommend paging through History of the Book for inspiration regarding reading/publishing/writing practices. For historical writers of any stripe, History of the Book will help flesh out one’s historical setting. Material culture is essential to historical study, and what better place to begin than with books?
“What this volume shows, indeed, is how the book has been successively remodelled and reformed over time and in different parts of our world. The different chapters illuminate constants and residual forms, key moments of transition, and the coexistence of contrasting functions and materials over long periods.” (3)
“Vast virtual communities of readers assemble routinely on sites such as Goodreads.com to share opinions and suggested further readings. Buyer ratings systems encroach upon many of the functions once performed by critics and bestseller lists….Public interpretation, writing, annotation, and collaborative writing flourish. Digital authors have become active and accessible presences, with both local and global readerships….The very data trails created by this buzz of readerly and writerly activity become an integral feature of the lives of books, hovering about them in something that might be described as a socio-electrostatic field.” (390)
Going into this, I was curious to see if developments in the non-western world were included. They were, in spades. Several chapters are wholly devoted to Asia: Medieval and Early Modern East Asia; South Asia (spanning ancient history to the modern period); Modern China, Japan, and Korea. Asian history shows up in the chapter on the ancient world, too, which covers the earliest extant examples around the world. There’s a chapter on the Islamic world, and of course that region overlaps with work on Byzantine books. While they don’t get devoted chapters, the continents of Africa and North and South America are present.
In an edited volume such as this, quality can vary widely from chapter to chapter. Yet, in this particular volume, I found a consistent enthusiasm for the subject, utter respect for historical books in the widest definition, and excellent attention to illustration. The lauded authors do not frown upon e-readers and the digitalization of reading (see quotation below, and a Goodreads shout out). Eleanor Robson broadens the definition of “book” to include khipu (systematized knotted records) and its antecedents, and the winter count on hides in North American Plains tribes. Due to my interest in church history, I was really pleased to learn about the Garima Gospels and medieval manuscript storage. Book piracy in Enlightenment Europe, Chinese bamboo concertina books, Victor Hugo’s role in international copyright law--it’s all here.
An invaluable volume to reference again and again, History of the Book will be useful to anyone about the history of books, writing, and reading around the world. Where this book fails, its works cited steps in. For any fantasy writers/worldbuilders out there, I recommend paging through History of the Book for inspiration regarding reading/publishing/writing practices. For historical writers of any stripe, History of the Book will help flesh out one’s historical setting. Material culture is essential to historical study, and what better place to begin than with books?
“What this volume shows, indeed, is how the book has been successively remodelled and reformed over time and in different parts of our world. The different chapters illuminate constants and residual forms, key moments of transition, and the coexistence of contrasting functions and materials over long periods.” (3)
“Vast virtual communities of readers assemble routinely on sites such as Goodreads.com to share opinions and suggested further readings. Buyer ratings systems encroach upon many of the functions once performed by critics and bestseller lists….Public interpretation, writing, annotation, and collaborative writing flourish. Digital authors have become active and accessible presences, with both local and global readerships….The very data trails created by this buzz of readerly and writerly activity become an integral feature of the lives of books, hovering about them in something that might be described as a socio-electrostatic field.” (390)
May 17, 2023
Very interesting and informative but is hilarious that a book so full of images of beautiful books should have such a lazy, clip-art cover
Read
December 21, 2020Another one of those beautiful coffee-table books I explore around Christmastime, or so I thought. I discovered this one while searching for another book about books. This one is much more academic than I expected, but I did page through looking at the illustrations and pictures and reading their captions. I also read several brief segments about the beginnings of printing, early success of fiction, and serializations.
Want to read
April 2, 2021Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
Want to read
May 26, 2025Lịch sử Sách. Thái Hà Books. 2024
Page 49. Sách là phương tiện bền bỉ, dễ dàng mang theo hoặc có tính di động, có thể nhân rộng, dễ đọc để ghi lại và phổ biến thông tin, kiến thức.
Page 464. Đọc là một hành động hết sức riêng tư, nó khiến cho độc giả nữ này tách hẳn khỏi thế giới xung quanh.
Page 716. Nảy sinh một cuộc chạy đua trong giới đọc sách điện tử nhằm cố gắng mô phỏng các thuộc tính của sách giấy: độ trắng của giấy, tốc độ lật trang nhanh, tỷ lệ tương phản giống như tờ giấy, các tính năng như dễ đánh dấu trang, bôi màu cho các phần cần lưu ý và ghi chú. > có vẻ nực cười là sách điện tử cố gắng để giống với sách giấy
Page 49. Sách là phương tiện bền bỉ, dễ dàng mang theo hoặc có tính di động, có thể nhân rộng, dễ đọc để ghi lại và phổ biến thông tin, kiến thức.
Page 464. Đọc là một hành động hết sức riêng tư, nó khiến cho độc giả nữ này tách hẳn khỏi thế giới xung quanh.
Page 716. Nảy sinh một cuộc chạy đua trong giới đọc sách điện tử nhằm cố gắng mô phỏng các thuộc tính của sách giấy: độ trắng của giấy, tốc độ lật trang nhanh, tỷ lệ tương phản giống như tờ giấy, các tính năng như dễ đánh dấu trang, bôi màu cho các phần cần lưu ý và ghi chú. > có vẻ nực cười là sách điện tử cố gắng để giống với sách giấy
September 14, 2021
A very interesting book, on a topic, I know, little, about. The historical nature, of the book, in various, cultures, and countries, is presented briefly, with photos. Perhaps, enough, to know, where to look further.
July 27, 2024
A wonderfully curated collection of essays on the history of books. Some essays are better than others, but for the most part, this book does a wonderful job explaining how books as we know them came to be. Pictures are interesting and informative.
May 18, 2025
Dense but brilliantly written. A very earnest attempt to be thorough and global was made but of course Africa, Oceania, and non- dominant groups in Asia and Europe were neglected pretty glaringly. However, the scholarship that is included is brilliantly done
February 19, 2021
"Books existed before the book."
January 23, 2023
A wonderful way to think about and be ever ready to explore books.
April 27, 2025
An excellent history, full of fascinating information, great images, and overall, quite enjoyable!
August 9, 2024
Most of the essays are well-written and all are quite informative. (The irony of some copyediting issues occurring did not escape me).
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews