Renaissance Drama and the Politics of Publication
Readings in the English Book Trade

'Lesser's findings are of considerable importance to publishing history … scholarly and thought-provoking … Through his four absorbing case histories Zachary Lesser offers a study of the highest importance not only to bibliography and the history of the English book trade but also to many other areas of historical, literary, and cultural studies.' Review of English Studies

'This is a book that offers direction for the study of early modern playbooks, a way of reading that will be responsive not only to bibliographical evidence but also to the earlier readings that it creates …' The Library

'Lesser's radical approach permits a radical clarity … he casts a dazzling and original light onto the public moment of these plays' birth.' Renaissance Quarterly

'… most interesting and useful … especially interesting and original [of all those published during the year]. … This is a genuinely original approach and yields important new insights into the reception of the plays he considers … Lesser makes a convincing case that attention to publishers can yield important information about how plays were read.' Studies in English Literature

'Lesser has written an excellent book … a genuinely new contribution to the field … It will be hard for anyone who has read his book to go on to read an early modern play without paying attention, in a way they are unlikely to have done before, to the identity of its publisher …' Renaissance and Reformation

'Lesser's claim is compelling, and he usefully isolates and understudied but undoubtedly important aspect of the drama …' Literature and History