What is a book? : the study of early printed books / Joseph A. Dane.

Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, 2012.

xv, 276 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm

Part I : Elements of Material Books. Terminology -- The matter of size -- Materials : ink, paper -- Mechanics of the press : variation -- Page format and layout -- Typography -- Illustrations : techniques and applications.

Part II : History of Books and Histories of Book-Copies. Bindings -- Marks in books : provenance -- Books in books and books from books -- ideal copy and the goals of enumerative and descriptive bibliogrpahy -- The Ersatz Book I : facsimiles and forgeries -- The Ersatz Book II : electronic books and databases.

Includes bibliographical references and index.