Culture and Commerce of Texts

Long after the establishment of printing in England, many writers and composers still prefered to publish their work through handwritten copies. Although censorship was one reason for this persistance of the older practice, scribal publication remained the norm for texts that were required only in small numbers, or whose authors wished to avoid the ""stigma"" of print. This text considers the trade in manuscripts as an important supplement to the trade in printed books and describes the agencies that met the need for rapid duplication of key texts.