First edition, of which this is the second printing. Inscribed on the half-title page by Basbanes to Duke Collier. A fine copy.

A consideration of all things paper - its invention that revolutionized human civilization; its thousand-fold uses (and misuses), proliferation, and sweeping influence on society; its makers, shapers, collectors, and pulpers - written by the admired cultural historian and author of the trilogy on all things book-related: A Gentle Madness, Patience and Fortitude, and A Splendor of Letters.