McKITTERICK, David.

A HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 3 volumes. (1) Printing and the book trade in Cambridge 1534-1698; (2) Scholarship and commerce 1698-1872; (3) New worlds for learning 1873-1972.

      Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992-2004. Roy.8vo, (247x174mm), 524; 535; 536p. 105 plates. A fine copy in original cloth, dustjacket. A magisterial, three-volume history of Cambridge University Press, the oldest publisher in the world, from its foundation in 1534 until 1972. This is a definitive history of Cambridge University Press, the oldest press in the world. The origins of the modern University Press sprang from the charter granted to the University by Henry VIII in 1534, to provide for printers who would be able to work outside London and serve the University, and these volumes chart the history of the Press from 1534 to 1972. Volume I sets the early history of the Press in the context of authors, University authorities, and readers, and the wider issues of the book trade in Britain and overseas. Volume II deals with a period of fundamental changes in printing, publishing, and bookselling from 1698–1872 examining how the forces of commerce collided with the hopes or demands of scholarship and education. The final volume examines the ways in which the Press established itself as an international organisation with authors and customers across the world. The 3 volumes also available individually at £100 each.