Although woodblock printing of books has an earlier origin in China, Korea and Japan, the invention of printing with movable metal type that began in Europe in the middle of the 15th century was truly revolutionary. The innovation of printed books spread rapidly and stimulated the process to democratise knowledge as the medieval world transformed into the early modern, with new genres and audiences for books established in just a few decades.

This chapter considers the physical production of writing in a pre-print world, from the clay tablets of Mesopotamia through the papyrus scrolls of antiquity to the birth of the parchment codex in the early Christian period. There follows a discussion of the speed and number of scribes in the world of the medieval parchment book.

Chapter 1 presents the contexts for the making and circulation of books in late colonial Peru. It analyses three limiting factors related to society, legislation, and materiality, and concludes that circulation was never unfettered owing to various barriers imposed by the colonial administration. Addressing illiteracy, this chapter shows how educational reforms promoted by contemporary theories of Enlightenment pedagogy and alternative ways of acquiring reading skills created potential book customers. Although a double mechanism of control – before as well as after the publication – determined the book market, actual practice differed from legislation. Finally, an analysis of the material constraints reveals how dependence on paper and printing types restricted Peruvian print production. Notwithstanding these confines, an increasing number of people learned how to read, regulations were not always fully enforced, materials were re-used, and tools were invented, allowing printed commodities to enter the colonial market.

To survive and prosper, researchers must demonstrate a successful record of publications in journals well-regarded by their fields. This chapter discusses how to successfully publish research in journals in the social and behavioral sciences and is organized into four sections. The first section highlights important factors that are routinely involved in the process of publishing a paper in refereed journals. The second section features some factors that are not necessarily required to publish a paper but that, if present, can positively influence scientific productivity. The third section discusses some pitfalls scholars should avoid to protect their scientific career. The last section addresses general publication issues within the science community. We also recommend further resources for those interested in learning more about successfully publishing research.

This chapter looks at the period 1700 to 1820, one of profound change in Ireland as technological advances coupled with social and educational developments deeply influenced the intellectual and literary landscape. In the six and a half centuries since the invention of printing many new technologies affected the creation, distribution, consumption, and enjoyment of printed texts. Innovations and developments in printing, typefounding, papermaking, and marketing contributed to the advance of literary culture. The rise in education from the eighteenth century created an audience for literature in its many forms. Imaginative writing developed and attracted new audiences as literacy expanded among different cohorts. The newspaper provided the most comprehensive medium for the dissemination of information. Literacy was not necessarily a requirement as evidence shows that one newspaper could be shared among readers and read aloud to groups of listeners. Print advertising, an eighteenth-century innovation, increased the market for literary works.

Chapter 3 focuses on some of the most frequently found historical materials and writing instruments which were used for writing. The chapter begins with a discussion of some of the most ancient materials, including stone and metal, as well as some other perishable materials which were in use among the first civilisations around the world. The discussion then moves on to describe papyrus, parchment, vellum, how they were made and what they were generally used for. The chapter also provides an overview of paper as a source of primary evidence, focusing on some of the key steps in the history of papermaking which can provide useful information for a student of orthography. Moving on, the narrative focuses on a short history of typographic styles, while also providing an overview of how to describe and classify type. The sections on paper and typography are informed by some extensive information already existing in the field of bibliography, while also including elements from palaeography.

This introductory chapter defines the class of Network materials and provides numerous examples. Network materials are classified based on several criteria. They are divided into thermal and athermal, as a function of the dependence of the fiber behavior on temperature, in dry, embedded or embedding, as a function of the presence of embedded entities (nanoparticles, macromolecular entities) or of an embedding matrix, in crosslinked and non-crosslinked function of the nature of fiber interactions. This classification is used in the book to define categories of mechanical behavior. The chapter closes with an outline of the book.

The second chapter deals with the black page commemorating the death of parson Yorick, often perceived as the pre-eminent symbol of Stern’s experimentation. This chapter suggests that with the black page, Sterne references a longstanding tradition of woodcut ornaments and mourning typography in funeral publications from the seventeenth to the eighteenth centuries, but which had reached their peak in the 1612 commemorations of the death of Henry, Prince of Wales. But he comments on how far this form of typographic commemoration has become clichéd by drawing from two recent typesetting trends: the representation of major funeral processions in newspapers and gravestone-like pages in the mid-century novel, as evidenced in Tom Jones (1749), Peregrine Pickle (1751) and William Toldervy’s Two Orphans (1756). Through considering the rarely studied mourning borders around Yorick’s epitaph alongside the black page’s double-sided covering of black ink, this chapter sees Sterne engaging with past and contemporary clichés of mourning iconography while playing upon – and pushing to its limits – the novelistic epitaph’s self-conscious manipulation of the printed page.

Chapter 1 invites readers to think more carefully about paper as a technology. It begins with a brief investigation of the history of paper as a technological innovation, of its travel to the West and of its introduction to England. It then considers the story of paper entangled with other goods, like wool and other luxury items, such as spices. It tells a story of ingenuity, cultural contacts and convenience, and considers how investments in the making of paper are pivotal to the success of the craft itself. It reconstructs the social circumstances of the arrival of paper in England and its reception there. Instead of arguing for the revolutionary impact of paper or for scepticism about its adoption, this chapter argues for the acceptance of it within a complex set of transnational diplomatic and mercantile connections.

This chapter will provide a foundation for the provision of quality visual arts educational experiences in early childhood and primary years. Practical suggestions for planning a high-quality visual arts program are linked to recent theory in a way that helps you construct your own visual arts program. Visual arts concepts, language, elements and principles will be defined and explained, with examples of the progression in visual arts education from early childhood through the primary years. Practicalities such as classroom management, safety and materials are addressed and additional interactive material can be found through the icons.