Old Books, New Technologies
The Representation, Conservation and Transformation of Books since 1700

As we rely increasingly on digital resources, and libraries discard large parts of their older collections, what is our responsibility to preserve 'old books' for the future? David McKitterick's lively and wide-ranging study explores how old books have been represented and interpreted from the eighteenth century to the present day. Conservation of these texts has taken many forms, from early methods of counterfeiting, imitation and rebinding to modern practices of microfilming, digitisation and photography. Using a comprehensive range of examples, McKitterick reveals these practices and their effects to address wider questions surrounding the value of printed books, both in terms of their content and their status as historical objects. Creating a link between historical approaches and the emerging technologies of the future, this book furthers our understanding of old books and their significance in a world of emerging digital technology.

1. The past in pixels; 2. Restoration and invention; 3. Conservation, counterfeiting and bookbinding; 4. Representation and imitation; 5. From copying to facsimile; 6. The arrival of photography; 7. Public exhibition; 8. The Caxton exhibition of 1877; 9. A bibliographical and public revolution; 10. Conclusion.

David McKitterick is Librarian and Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. His books include A History of Cambridge University Press (three volumes, 1992–2004) and Print, Manuscript and the Search for Order, 1450–1830 (Cambridge University Press, 2003). He is also a general editor of The Cambridge History of the Book in Britain series.