{"product_id":"portable-magic-a-history-of-books-and-their-readers-hardcover","title":"Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eEmma Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA history of one of humankind's most resilient and influential technologies over the past millennium--the book. Revelatory and entertaining in equal measure, \u003ci\u003ePortable Magic\u003c\/i\u003e will charm and challenge literature lovers of all kinds as it illuminates the transformative power and eternal appeal of the written word.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStephen King once said that books are \"a uniquely portable magic.\" Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift books that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese, \u003ci\u003ePortable Magic\u003c\/i\u003e explores how, when, and why books became so iconic. It's not just the content within a book that compels; it's the physical material itself, what Smith calls \"bookhood\" the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience--to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us--and our longstanding love affair with books in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEMMA SMITH is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University, and the author of \u003ci\u003eThis Is Shakespeare \u003c\/i\u003e(2020). She lives in Oxford, England.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 352\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.3 x 5.7 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 15, 2022\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51766084305184,"sku":"9781524749095","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/1d2a8cf08d59b3e93d7faf9010082d26.webp?v=1780285048","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/portable-magic-a-history-of-books-and-their-readers-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}