Publisher's Synopsis
Over 65 lead scholars, librarians and archivists come together to analyse the development of the book in Scotland from the early 7th century BCE to the 1707 Union, from depictions of books in carved stone monuments to the printing presses of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow producing pamphlets and receipts used for everyday business at the end of the 17th century.
Part I: Foundations, Production and Expansion establishes the overall boundaries of manuscript and printed book history in Scotland across this millennium and sets the making of books within the wider cultural contexts at play, both at home and abroad. Scots were highly mobile across this 1000 year period, moving for education and religious reasons, establishing businesses abroad and bringing home new styles and technology. This focussed study adds to the narrative of an outward-facing emergent nation, rich in the written word and in a culture of reading, authorship and art.
