This English author is deeply engaged with the world of books and the history of libraries. His works focus on bibliography and library history, often drawing from the rich environment of university libraries. He delves into the detailed examination of collections and their historical development, bringing the fascinating world of books and their stewardship through the centuries to readers. His writings offer valuable insights into the significance and preservation of written cultural heritage.
Explores how the idea of rare books was shaped by collectors, traders and libraries from the sixteenth to the nineteenth centuries. Using examples from across Europe, David McKitterick looks at how rare books developed from being desirable objects of largely private interest to become public and even national concerns.
Tracing a mid-nineteenth-century revolution in understandings of old and second-hand books, David McKitterick reveals a transformation in values that underpins bibliography, access and collecting today. This study illuminates how exhibitions, libraries, booksellers, scholars and popular writers all contributed to the modern world of book studies.