Texts and their contexts

Papers from the early book society

Julia Boffey & John Scattergood editors

This volume presents selected papers from the Early Book Society’s biennial British meetings, 1989-93. The Society was formed to bring together those interested in any aspect of the study of manuscripts and early printed books, and the essays collected here give some idea of the wide range of topics addressed in the members’ research.

These essays nonetheless have a degree of coherence: the texts and books which are considered here were all produced between the late fourteenth and early sixteenth centuries; all were available to English readers; and all are here investigated in terms of certain physical features (composition, layout, illustration, etc.) of relevance to their subjects or intended audiences. The chronological spread of essays furthermore directs attention to bibliographical and wider issues arising from the change from manuscript to print culture.