Product Description

This is a comprehensive introduction to books and print culture which examines the move from the spoken word to written texts, the book as commodity, the power and profile of readers, and the future of the book in an electronic age.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #131015 in Books
• Published on: 2005-05-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 168 pages

Review

'David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery have written an excellent introduction to the history of the book. This concise volume covers the major aspects of book history to introduce the novice or to refresh the memory of the scholar... the book as a whole provides a starting place for further discussion and exploration into the history of literacy, the book, and ideas about reading and text.' - Millie Jackson, Libraries and the Cultural Record

"the tracing of history, historiography, and competing views is engaging." --Journalism History

From the Back Cover

An Introduction to Book History provides a comprehensive critical introduction to the development of the book and print culture. David Finkelstein and Alistair McCleery chart the move from spoken word to written texts, the coming of print, the book as commodity, the power and profile of readers, and the future of the book in the electronic age. Each section begins with a summary of the chapter’s aims and contents, followed by a detailed discussion of the relevant issues, concluding with a summary of the chapter and suggestions for further reading.

Sections include: The History of the Book; Orality to Literacy; Literacy to Printing; Authors, authorship and authority; Printers, Booksellers, Publishers, Agents; Readers and reading; and The Future of the Book.

An Introduction to Book History will be an ideal introduction to this exciting field of study, and is designed as a companion text to The Book History Reader.

About the Author

David Finkelstein is Professor of Media and head of the Media Department at Queen Margaret University College, Edinburgh.

Alistair McCleery is Professor of Literature and Communications at Napier University, Edinburgh. They are the editors of The Book History Reader (Routledge 2001).