Companion to the Early Printed Book in Britain, 1476-1558

First full-scale guide to the origins and development of the early printed book, and the issues associated with it.The history of the book is now recognized as a field of central importance for understanding the cultural changes that swept through Tudor England. This companion aims to provide a comprehensive guide to the issues relevant to theearly printed book, covering the significant cultural, social and technological developments from 1476 (the introduction of printing to England) to 1558 (the death of Mary Tudor). Divided into thematic sections (the printed booktrade; the book as artefact; patrons, purchasers and producers; and the cultural capital of print), it considers the social, historical, and cultural context of the rise of print, with the problems as well as advantages of the transmission from manuscript to print. the printers of the period; the significant Latin trade and its effect on the English market; paper, types, bindings, and woodcuts and other decorative features which create the packaged book; and the main sponsors and consumers of the printed book: merchants, the lay clientele, secular and religious clergy, and the two Universities, as well as secular colleges and chantries. Further topics addressed include humanism, women translators, and the role of censorship and the continuity of Catholic publishing from that time. The book is completed with a chronology and detailed indices. VINCENT GILLESPIE is J.R.R. Tolkien Professor of English Literature and Language at the University of Oxford; SUSAN POWELL held a Chair in Medieval Texts and Culture at the University of Salford, and is currently affiliated to the Universities of London and York. Contributors: Tamara Atkin, Alan Coates, Thomas Betteridge, Julia Boffey, James Clark, A.S.G. Edwards, Martha W. Driver, Mary Erler, Alexandra Gillespie, Vincent Gillespie, Andrew Hope, Brenda Hosington, Susan Powell, Pamela Robinson, AnneF. Sutton, Daniel Wakelin, James Willoughby, Lucy Wooding

Each chapter is richly referenced and densely informative and I can quite see that this volume will become (if it is not already) the go-to compendium for students of early printed books, of book history more generally, and of reading and reception studies and histories in medieval and early modern Britain and beyond., The Companion is a book about books that adds to the character and history of early print by weaving together a set of essays and notes that delight in the details and make much of the early printed resources available in the British Isles and on the Continent; its contribution to the field is theatrically embodied in the weight of the pages that dictate the force of our grip., Authoritative., A Companion to the Early Printed Book in Britain, 1476-1558 is an essential volume and deserves a place on every shelf. This is a book that no one will regret acquiring and whose insights should definitively shape future discussion of this subject., Offers a useful overview of print in this period, while pointing to the high stakes of some key issues.

A. S. G. Edwards has taught at various universities in North America and England and currently holds honorary professorships at the University of Kent, University College, London, and King's College, London. JULIA BOFFEY is Professor of Medieval Studies in the Department of English at Queen Mary University of London.