"Anyone interested in the provenance of books would be well advised to obtain a copy of the new edition, even if they own the previous one... what has changed the most are the increased awareness of its importance as a field of study, and the research tools available, especially online ones. The breadth of the early chapters is complemented by the depth of some of the later ones."
- Peter Kidd, The Book Collector

"Pearson has been much in demand as a speaker, across the world. His book is informed by the reactions of audiences, not just by sitting in a library or at a computer screen. ... The challenges and their implications remain, as the world's libraries decide which books can be as well digitized as kept. Quite apart from being an invaluable handbook, Pearson's work is an important contribution to this pressing debate."
- David McKitterick, The Library

Co-published with The Bodleian Library, this thoroughly revised edition includes a new introductory section containing additional references to update the original text.

Since this handbook was first published in 1994, interest in the book as a material object, and in the ways in which books have been owned, read and used, has burgeoned. Now established as a standard reference work, this book has been revised and expanded with a new set of over 200 color illustrations, updated bibliographies and extended international coverage of libraries and online resources.

It covers the history and understanding of inscriptions, bookplates, ink and binding stamps, mottoes and heraldry, and describes how to identify owners and track down books from particular collections via library and sale catalogues. Each section features an evaluated bibliography listing further sources, both online and in print. Illustrated examples of the many kinds of ownership evidence which can be found in books are also shown throughout. Relevant to anyone seeking to identify previous owners of books, or trace private libraries, this title will also support the work of all book historians interested in the history of reading or the use of books and in the book as a material object. An essential handbook for anyone working in provenance research.

David Pearson is a leading expert on provenance and historic books. He retired in 2017 from a career in libraries and now writes and teaches on book history.

Available in the UK and Ireland from Bodleian Library Publishing.

From reviews of the first edition...

"It has immediately become indispensable."
- David McKitterick, Times Literary Supplement

"For the first time, scholars can turn to a well-organized, comprehensive, and accurate account of book ownership."
- John Bidwell, Library Quarterly.