Manuscripts and Printed Books in Europe 1350-1550: Packaging, Presentation and Consumption

This new volume showcases innovative research on the history of the book from scholars in a broad array of fields, including English and French studies, history, music, and art history. With special attention paid to the physical book,Manuscripts and Printed Books in Europe 1350–1550 tackles a wide range of topics, including information on the binding, visual presentation and internal organization of books; the producers, owners, and readers of books during this period; and the experience of reading itself. A broad definition of consumption helps inform a diversity of academic perspectives and includes not simply reading or buying the book, but also bibliophagia (the ingestion of books), consumption by worms and fleas, by fire and censors and a variety of more literal and figurative interpretations.

Emma Cayley is a senior lecturer in French and head of modern languages at the University of Exeter. Susan Powell is professor and chair of medieval texts and cultures in the School of Humanities, Languages and Social Sciences at the University of Salford.