Leila Avrin. <i>Scribes, Script and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance</i>. Ill. by Malla Carl and Noah Ophir. Chicago and London: American Library Association and The British Library, 1991; reprinted 2010. xxxii, 356 pp. ISBN 978-0-8389-1038-2. $50

In Scribes, Script and Books, Leila Avrin has provided the rare book world with a nearly comprehensive review of the history of writing and hand-bookmaking, from the earliest evidence of logographic symbols up to the eve of letterpress printing in Europe. The text is lavishly illustrated with 350 black and white photos, figures, and maps, and has an extensive bibliography. The work was originally published in 1991 and is now available as a reprint.In the introduction, Avrin clearly states that her intent is to synthesize the work of the many historians preceding her, not to present original research. This . . .