'This is an absolutely first-rate work at the very cutting edge of book history research, which for the last few years has been increasingly turning away from national models towards the international trade. Despite this, there exists at present no concerted account of the vast expansion in global publishing during the closing phases of British imperialism. At the moment we have specialised accounts of particular firms, but nothing that brings all these accounts together into a concerted overview of the whole nexus: the 'tangled network' of international trade at a vital period in its expansion. This book does all of that, enabling us to view each strand as part of a world tapestry. It is scrupulously researched. It is superbly written. Theoretically as well as empirically sophisticated, it engages intelligently with the most rewarding debates going on in book history at the present time. It is, in fine, a must.' - Professor Robert Fraser, Open University, UK