Contains a chronological survey from rare Georgian & Regency gems through Victorian gift books to the diversity of later styles. Covering predominantly English language publications from Britain and the USA it combines insight into developments in printing and binding techniques, publishing and marketing with a wealth of detail and comment on authors and illustrators including Edward Lear, Randolph Caldecott, Beatrix Potter, Kenneth Grahame, Arthur Ronsome, Jean de Brunhoff, Maurice Sendak and Raymond Briggs.