Interacting with print : elements of reading in the era of print saturation /

One of the pleasures of this collaborative work of 22 authors (all faculty members from departments of English and other humanities) is its surprising readability. The book is meaty, consistent, vigorous, and free of jargon. The introduction states that the book is intended "not simply to join the debate [over the ramifications of book history] but to transform some of its premises." The intent is to demonstrate how in the 18th and 19th centuries print interacted with other media--how print connected with people and how people connected with others via print. The book highlights matters of physicality (for example in a chapter titled "Paper"), format ("Anthologies"), condition ("Ephemerality"), and process ("Proliferation"). Situated within the multidisciplinary nature of print culture, the text is grounded throughout in texts and subjects. "Each chapter aims to articulate an aspect of [the authors'] theoretical approach" with conceptual tentacles that, despite some abrupt chronological and thematic jumps, enable a panorama of evolutionary trends in the activity of reading whose ramifications extend into the 21st century. An extensive bibliography drawing from both historical and recent sources along with plentiful illustrations (many in color) add dimension. This book is particularly valuable for its innovative approach. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. --William S. Brockman, Pennsylvania State University, University Park Campus