The History of the Book in the West

"Frames the history of the book within the globalisation of the media industries and the challenge to the cultural status of the book from electronic media in the twentieth century. The invention of photomechanical typesetting and the application of computer technology profoundly changed the technology and processes of production, distribution, sales and consumption of the book. These effects continue in the twenty-first century and have led to the development of 'the long tail' niche book publishing strategies" -- Series preface, p. xiii.