Masterplots II, American Fiction Series, Vol. 6 Book

Theories of Reading: Books, Bodies, and Bibliomania focuses upon 'current critical understanding of reading and readership studies'. In the book, Karin Littau has aimed to 'bring insights from book history to bear on literary history and theory'. She is a firm believer that 'the relation between a book and a reader is also a relation between two bodies: one made of paper and ink, the other of flesh and blood'.

In Theories of Reading, Littau charts how media and technology have altered the experience of reading. She believes that the book is a medium which deserves to be celebrated as it is 'the longest serving medium for the storage, retrieval and transmission of knowledge'.

The book is split into many manageable sections which cover a wide variety of book and reading-related topics, spanning such subjects as reading aloud, the progression of printing, 'reading addiction', 'film-fever', bibliomania, the 'dangers' of reading, contemplation of a future without books and the sexual politics of novels. Throughout, Littau charts the progress of the book from its beginnings 'scratched into stone, clay or wax', to the newer technological innovations such as e-readers and the Internet, which have changed the way in which we read.

A vast array of sources have been used in order to give an informed overview of the book and how it has been used and received historically. Littau has used sources as diverse as those focusing upon Romantic theory, the use of bibliographies in the modern world, the function of criticism and different races and sexes as 'cultural readers'. Several illustrations have been included throughout the volume, all of which relate to the preceding text. The headings used successfully break up the text, making it easy to find specific subsections.

Theories of Reading is an incredibly interesting and informative book, far-reaching in its scope. A vast array of points have been included, considered in a manner which works well. Each statement which Littau has made throughout the book is backed up by historical fact and the opinions of other writers and specialists who can further enforce her argument. Theories of Reading is a wonderful reference book for students and those interested in reading and 'bibliomania'.