Book Parts

What would an anatomy of the book look like? There is the main text, of course, the file that the author proudly submits to their publisher. But around this, hemming it in on the page or enclosing it at the front and back of the book, there are dozens of other texts--page numbers and running heads, copyright statements and errata lists--each possessed of particular conventions, each with their own lively histories. To consider these paratexts--recalling them fromthe margins, letting them take centre stage--is to be reminded that no book is the sole work of the author whose name appears on the cover; rather, every book is the sum of a series of collaborations. Itis to be reminded, also, that not everything is intended for us, the readers. There are sections that are solely directed at others--binders, librarians, lawyers--parts of the book that, if they are working well, are working discreetly, like a theatrical prompt, whispering out of the audience's ear-shotBook Parts is a bold and imaginative intervention in the fast growing field of book history: it pulls the book apart. Over twenty-two chapters, Book Partstells the story of the components of the book: from title pages to endleaves; from dust jackets to indexes--and just about everything in between. Book Parts covers a broad historical range that runs from the pre-printera to the digital, bringing together the expertise of some of the most exciting scholars working on book history today in order to shine a new light on these elements hiding in plain sight in the books we all read.

“"an engaging work of "book history as anatomy" ... each of the contributors to Book Parts finds their own metaphorical vocabulary to describe the relationship between book part and main text." -- James Waddell, Times Literary Supplement "Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals." -- M. C. Cohen, CHOICE "Duncan and Smyth contextualize their undertaking with an unusually self-conscious introduction that does not spend time giving us synopses of each chapter ... There is little need to speak of the whole collection when it is this well edited and each part feels in concert with the others ... It is the drama of this shadowy realm that Smyth and Duncan's collection, both in whole and in part, demonstrates for us." -- Nicholas D. Nace, The Book Collector”

an engaging work of "book history as anatomy" ... each of the contributors to Book Parts finds their own metaphorical vocabulary to describe the relationship between book part and main text. James Waddell, Times Literary Supplement
...a Gray's Anatomy for the bookish Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
For making us think about the elements of which a book is comprised, and making us reflect on their long histories - and for doing so with intelligence, learning and wit - this book is to be greatly welcomed...It is rarely less than fascinating and sometimes hugely entertaining. Mathew Lyons, The Author
Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty and professionals. M. C. Cohen, CHOICE
Duncan and Smyth contextualize their undertaking with an unusually self-conscious introduction that does not spend time giving us synopses of each chapter ... There is little need to speak of the whole collection when it is this well edited and each part feels in concert with the others ... It is the drama of this shadowy realm that Smyth and Duncan's collection, both in whole and in part, demonstrates for us. Nicholas D. Nace, The Book Collector

Dennis Duncan is a writer and translator based in London. He is currently writing a history of the book index, from the medieval period to the age of the Kindle, to be published by Penguin in 2020, and is author of The Oulipo and Modern Thought (Oxford University Press, 2019). His recent articles have considered Mallarmé and jugs, James Joyce and pornography, and the history of the Times New Roman typeface. Dr Duncan writes on bibliography andFrench literature for the Times Literary Supplement, and has published translations of Michel Foucault, Boris Vian, and Alfred Jarry.Adam Smyth is Professor of English Literature and the History of the Book at Balliol College, Oxford. His most recent books include Material Texts in Early Modern England (Cambridge University Press, 2018); Autobiography in Early Modern England (Cambridge University Press, 2010); A History of English Autobiography (edited, Cambridge University Press, 2016); and Book Destruction from the Medieval to the Contemporary (edited with Gill Partington, Palgrave,2014). He is the co-editor of Routledge's book series Material Readings in Early Modern Culture. He also enjoys discussing his work beyond the academy: he writes regularly for the London Review of Books, and has appeared on TV and radio inthe UK and abroad. Adam Smyth is the co-host of the literary discussion podcast and radio show, Litbits.

What would an anatomy of the book look like? There is the main text, of course, the file that the author proudly submits to their publisher. But around this, hemming it in on the page or enclosing it at the front and back of the book, there are dozens of other texts--page numbers and running heads, copyright statements and errata lists--each possessed of particular conventions, each with their own lively histories. To consider these paratexts--recalling them fromthe margins, letting them take centre stage--is to be reminded that no book is the sole work of the author whose name appears on the cover; rather, every book is the sum of a series of collaborations. Itis to be reminded, also, that not everything is intended for us, the readers. There are sections that are solely directed at others--binders, librarians, lawyers--parts of the book that, if they are working well, are working discreetly, like a theatrical prompt, whispering out of the audience's ear-shotBook Parts is a bold and imaginative intervention in the fast growing field of book history: it pulls the book apart. Over twenty-two chapters, Book Partstells the story of the components of the book: from title pages to endleaves; from dust jackets to indexes--and just about everything in between. Book Parts covers a broad historical range that runs from the pre-printera to the digital, bringing together the expertise of some of the most exciting scholars working on book history today in order to shine a new light on these elements hiding in plain sight in the books we all read.

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