The Commodification of Textual Engagements in the English Renaissance

'... an engaging, smart and important study, one that promises to add much to our understanding of early modern print culture, the rise of the author function, and the various ways in which the "genres of liminality? interpellated the reader within new networks of commerce and consumption.' Jonathan Gil Harris, Professor of English, George Washington University, USA and author of Sick Economies: Drama, Mercantilism and Disease in Shakespeare's England '... generously illustrated...' Sharp News 'Refreshingly, Saenger moves beyond the small section of books usually examined by textual scholars to include also a wide variety of printed texts, such as instructional works, religious texts, and even a book that contains instructions for constructing devices and conducting magic tricks and paranormal experiments. The number of books discussed by Saenger in his slim volume is impressive and lends itself well to his comprehensive assertions regarding paratexts in Renaissance books. Saenger's analyses are clear and insightful... the book makes an excellent case for further analysis of the front matter of Renaissance texts and lays a good critical foundation for doing so.' Renaissance Quarterly '... Saenger [...] offers a useful addition to the growing field of the material culture of the book... Its clear structure means that key points of interest can be quickly located. While the book as a whole will engage readers concerned with early modern book history and current scholarly tends therein, other sections will interest a wider readership amongst librarians... Saenger succeeds in giving a lively insight into the world of early modern print in England.' Rare Books Newsletter 'In this generously illustrated book, Michael Saenger analyses the front matter of an impressive range of early modern texts... he is attentive to the strategies by which printed books might appeal at once to the literate Latinist and to the less practiced reader. One of the strengths of Sae