Eight essays from a conference in London (no date noted) explore various aspects of the Company's 400-year history, drawing on the recent microfilm publication of its entire archive. The Company was formed by British booksellers, stationers, printers, binders, and other producers and dealers to protect their trade interest and exert control in such matters as apprenticeship and the number of master printers. Among the topics are William Cecil, members who served in the Artillery Company before the Civil War, the discourse in the 17th century, the smuggling of pirated editions from Ireland to Scotland, and Welsh efforts to join the London-dominated association. Part of a series on the history of books. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.
