There is both an extensive introduction with two parts and a reflection at the end, which sets out and summarises the volume in a clear and accessible way, helping students and readers understand the topic as a whole, and enabling them to draw their own conclusions.

The chapters are diverse in approach and subject, and many deal with global issues through European mediation, giving readers a survey of the subject beyond the traditional western European lens.

The book is truely original, with its emphasis on rules/regulation rather than circulation of knowledge and issues of secrecy, providing students and readers a fresh and cutting edge approach to the history of knowledge.