Since the invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century, books and print culture have been central to the shaping of culture and society. The Book History Reader is the first comprehensive volume to bring together a variety of work - much of which is now out of print or impossible to access - examining key aspects of book history. International in scope and interdisciplinary in nature, book history studies is a rapidly growing subject which analyses books and print as cultural artefacts. The Book History Reader is an essential collection of writings examining different aspects of the history of books and print culture: the development of the book, the move from spoken word to written texts, the commodification of books and authors and the power and profile of readers. The second edition features new articles covering issues of gender, material culture and bibliographical matters and a new section on the future of the book in the electronic age. Arranged in thematic sections and featuring a general introduction to the Reader as well as an introduction to each section, the editors illustrate how book history studies have developed a broad approach which incorporates social and cultural considerations governing the production, dissemination and reception of print and texts. This pioneering book will be a vital resource for all those involved in publishing studies, library studies, book history and also those studying English literature, cultural studies, sociology and history.