James Raven, a leading historian of the book, offers a fresh and accessible guide to the global study of the production, dissemination and reception of written and printed texts across all societies and in all ages. Students, teachers, researchers and general readers will benefit from the book's investigation of the subject's origins, scope and future direction. Based on original research and a wide range of sources, What is the History of the Book? shows how book history crosses disciplinary boundaries and intersects with literary, historical, media, library, conservation and communications studies. Raven uses examples from around the world to explore different traditions in bibliography, palaeography and manuscript studies. He analyses book history's growing global ambition and demonstrates how the study of reading practices opens up new horizons in social history and the history of knowledge. He shows how book history is contributing to debates about intellectual and popular culture, colonialism and the communication of ideas. The first global, accessible introduction to the field of book history from ancient to modern times, What is the History of the Book? is essential reading for all those interested in one of society's most important cultural artefacts.

Preface
Acknowledgements
List of illustrations and tables
1. The Scope of Book History
Redefining the book
First books first
2. The Early History of Book History
Pre-histories of the book
Towards bibliography
3. Description, Enumeration and Modelling
Retrospective catalogues and bibliometrics
New perspectives and projects
Circuits and diagrams
4. Who, What and How?
Economics
Wider horizons
Control: Copyright, censorship and circulation
Libraries
Cautions and precepts
5. Reading
Identifying readers
Recovering reading practises
Consequences
Further reading
Index