A history of reading in the West
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
A history of reading in the West
（Studies in print culture and the history of the book）
University of Massachusetts Press, 1999-2003
- : cloth
- : pbk
- Other Title
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Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental
Available at 15 libraries
Note
"First published in France as Histoire de la lecture dans le monde occidental, edited by Guglielmo Cavallo and Roger Chatier, c Giuseppe Laterza & Figli Spa, Rome-Bari, 1995, and Éditions du Seuil, Paris, March 1997" -- T.p. verso
Includes bibliography (p. [443]-471) and index
Description and Table of Contents
- Volume
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: cloth ISBN 9781558492134
Description
Literature has not always been written in the same ways, nor has it been received or read in the same ways over the course of Western civilization. Cavallo (Greek palaeography, U. of Rome La Sapienza), Chartier (Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Paris) and a number of other international contributors, address themes that highlight the transformation of reading methods and materials over the ages, such as the way texts in the Middle Ages were often written with the voice in mind, as they would have been read aloud, or even sung. Articles explore the innovations in the physical evolution of the book, as well as the growth and development of a broad-based reading public.
- Volume
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: pbk ISBN 9781558494114
Description
Books and other texts have not always been read in the way that we read them today. The modern practice of reading - privately, silently, with the eyes alone - is only one way of reading, which for many centuries existed alongside other forms. In the ancient world, in the Middle Ages, and as late as the seventeenth century, many texts were written for the voice. They were addressed to the ear as much as the eye, and they used forms that were oriented toward the demands of oral performance. This is one of the themes explored in this landmark volume. Written by a distinguished group of international contributors, it analyzes the transformations of reading methods and materials over the ages, showing that revolutions of reading have generally preceded revolutions of the book. The authors examine not only the technical innovations that changed physical aspects of books and other texts, but also the evolving forms of reading and the growth and transformation of the reading public. The volume will be invaluable to students of cultural history and to all those who want a fresh perspective on the history of books and their uses.
by "Nielsen BookData"