Based on lectures given at the William Andrews Clark Library in 1986-87, these essays discuss the many aspects of the history of the book, with a range of topics related to manuscripts as well as books. This is the second title in "The British Library Studies in the History of the Book" series. The introductory essay by Nicholas Barker and Thomas R. Adams discusses the influential "communications circuit" published in 1982 by Robert Darnton, which relates to many roles in the creation and distribution of books from author to reader. Advancing a "new model for the study of the book" which maps intellectual, social, political, legal, religious and commercial influences and pressures in relation to the key functions that collectively comprise publication, the essay serves as a manifesto with the aim of drawing historians and bibliographers closer to a common purpose. This title is intended for undergraduate and postgraduate students of social and economic history; historical bibliographers; antiquarians and collectors; and librarians of rare book collections.