Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
How and why did books get such a hold on us? How has this technology shaped us over the last two millennia?
Hear from Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University and author of Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers, on the continuities and change across the long history of books and their readers, emphasising that it is books' physical form – their 'bookhood' – that lends them their distinctive and sometimes dangerous magic.
The lecture will cover everything from ancient bibles to a new look at Gutenberg, the radical history of paperbacking, Marilyn Monroe’s reading habits, the first printed book in Australia, and even a book made of wrapped slices of cheese.
Reserve your spot now.
This event is part of Beyond the Book: Transforming the Early Modern Archive. View the full series of events here.
About Emma Smith
Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and the 2023 Sam Wanamaker Fellow at Shakespeare's Globe in London. She has written and lectured widely on Shakespeare, including the bestselling books This is Shakespeare: How to Read the World's Greatest Playwright (Penguin, 2019), and Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers (Penguin, 2022).
If you require a descriptive transcript for this video, please email us at websupport@slv.vic.gov.au.
How and why did books get such a hold on us? How has this technology shaped us over the last two millennia?
Hear from Emma Smith, Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Oxford University and author of Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers, on the continuities and change across the long history of books and their readers, emphasising that it is books' physical form – their 'bookhood' – that lends them their distinctive and sometimes dangerous magic.
The lecture will cover everything from ancient bibles to a new look at Gutenberg, the radical history of paperbacking, Marilyn Monroe’s reading habits, the first printed book in Australia, and even a book made of wrapped slices of cheese.
Reserve your spot now.
This event is part of Beyond the Book: Transforming the Early Modern Archive. View the full series of events here.
About Emma Smith
Emma Smith is Professor of Shakespeare Studies at Hertford College, University of Oxford, and the 2023 Sam Wanamaker Fellow at Shakespeare's Globe in London. She has written and lectured widely on Shakespeare, including the bestselling books This is Shakespeare: How to Read the World's Greatest Playwright (Penguin, 2019), and Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers (Penguin, 2022).
If you require a descriptive transcript for this video, please email us at websupport@slv.vic.gov.au.
