Acknowledgements

This book has its origins in an online conference, entitled The Reader in the Book: Books, Reading and Libraries in Fiction, held at the Institute of English Studies in 2021. We would like to thank all the participants of that event – some of whose work is represented here in revised and much expanded form – for helping shape the lines of enquiry that have led to this book. We gratefully acknowledge the support of the administrative staff of the Institute of English Studies, especially the Institute Manager, Dr Eleanor Hardy, whose practical and intellectual advice helped considerably in the evolution of the volume. We would also like to thank the press’s anonymous readers for their careful reading of the manuscript and invaluable suggestions for improvement. Finally, we are grateful to the staff of the University of London Press, especially Emma Gallon, for their enthusiastic and patient support at all stages of the project.

This book is dedicated to the memory of our two sets of parents.