Originally published in 1966, this book studied the background against which libraries in England have developed since classical times and the part they played in the formation of 20^th Century bibliographic culture and bibliomania. Part 1 discusses the power of the written book in antiquity and follows the story from Greek and Roman times to Roman Britain and through Saxon and Medieval England to the Reformation. Part 2 traces the history of the Englishman’s study and his domestic library from its beginning to Victorian days and reveals how intimately it is related to our literature and culture. The spread of the art of reading in the 15^th Century and its expansion among people of all classes in the 18^th and 19^th centuries are discussed in detail.