Theatre of the Book, 1480-1880: Print, Text, and Performance in Europe

'Magnificent... a magnum opus in more ways than one... this is a big book and an important one, that merits applause for both the scope of its intellectual ambition and the scholarly integrity and enthusiasm of its execution.' -Years Work in English Studies'Peters' work has a solid foundation in primary sources and detailed documentation... offers a viable and thoughtful investigation of an important topic. Theatre of the Book is thought-provoking and dense. It is beautifully illustrated with 60 reproductions of various types of literature associated with drama, each one of them a reminder of the durability of print in contrast with the evanescence of performance in the pre-electronic era.' -History of European Ideas'Deft handling of a great number and variety of sources... The author has thankfully brought a sense of order to the material, without dulling the complexity with overanalysis... The notes are clear and helpful in guiding the reader to a wide range of primary sources and scholarly works that bring an added level of authority to the work as a whole.' -Sixteenth Century Journal'This book is an example of some of the exciting work being undertaken in the growing field of book history, a field which has of late lived up to its promise to be truly multidisciplinary. It is an important contribution to the understanding of the impact and legacy of the printing press.' -Sixteenth Century Journal'Eminently scholarly and subtly argued... Scholars in a variety of fields, especially those who work outside traditional discipline boundaries, will welcome this book as an engaging starting point for research at the intersection of historical bibliography, the history of communication, theatre history, and dramatic theory.' -Sixteenth Century Journal'Remarkable and wide-ranging.' -Peter Holland, Times Literary SupplementTheatre of the Book explores the impact of printing on the European theatre, 1480-1880. Far from being marginal to Renaissance dramatists, the printing press played an essential role in the birth of the modern theatre. Looking at playtexts, engravings, actor portraits, notation systems, and theatrical ephemera as part of the broader history of theatrical ideas, this illustrated book offers both a history of European dramatic publication and an examination of the European theatre's continual refashioning of itself in the world of print.