100 historical and contemporary texts give a detailed insight into the last 150 years of animation studies in this seminal, four-volume reference work on the field. Beginning with the many definitions, or lack thereof, of animation, the set delves into the nature of animation production, explores how we can establish greater space within animation discourse for the consideration of broadcast and interactive animation, and gives a greater contextual understanding of the field of animation studies.

Key themes are 'Authorship', 'Genre', 'Identity Politics', and 'Spectatorship', and the set is ordered in such a way that avoids imposing an overly simplistic chronological framework, thereby allowing debates that have developed over years (and even decades) to stand side by side. Each volume is separately introduced and the essays structured into coherent sections on specific themes