In nine engaging and authoritative chapters, author Cyril Davenport tells the story of the book from its earliest incarnationsformation of words and palm-leaf booksto the evolution of the illustrated book as an art form. What emerges is an intriguing portrait of paper and printing, the art of bookbinding, and illustration styles such as engraving, mezzotints, and photography.

Cyril James Humphries Davenport (18481941) was a writer who specialized in the history of bookmaking and other fine crafts. He is the author ofRoyal English Book Bindings(1896); British Heraldry; Cameos; Jewellry; The English Regalia(1897); English Embroidered Book Bindings(1899); Mezzotints(1904); and Miniatures: Ancient and Modern(1907).