Originally published in 1950, and based on lectures given by the author at Harvard University in 1947, this volume provides a historical study of the book in its relationship with the dissemination of new artistic ideas during the Renaissance. The text is divided into three sections, each relating to a different area of book production: the first relates to type; the second to illustration; the third to ornament. This is a beautifully presented volume, containing a large number of illustrative examples, that will be of value to anyone with an interest in bibliography and the development of Renaissance thought.