This path-breaking study will become the standard work on thehistory of reading in the West. It will be indispensable tostudents of cultural history, and to all those who want a freshperspective on the history of books and their uses. Wide-ranging and authoritative account of the changingpractices of reading from the ancient world to the presentday. An international team of leading historians examine thetechnical innovations which change physical aspects of books andother texts, as well as the changing forms of reading and thegrowth and transformation of the reading public. Contributors include: Robert Bonfil, Guglielmo Cavallo, RogerChartier, Jean-Francois Gilmont, Anthony Grafton, JacquelineHamesse, Dominique Julia, Martyn Lyons, M.B. Parkes, ArmandoPetrucci, Paul Saenger, Jesper Svenbro and Reinhard Wittmann. This path-breaking study has been highly successful in hardbackand is now available in paperback for the first time.