This instructive study affords a compelling example of Stephen Orgel's archaeology of reading, whereby investigation of early inscriptions in the margins and other blank spaces of books contributes greatly to our understanding of the sociology and history of reading.
John N. King, Renaissance Quarterly
good value ... a study of early modern marginalia but also -- the bit I'm looking forward to -- a reflection on our more recent idolization of the clean, unmarked page.
Hal Jensen, Summer Books selection 2016, Times Literary Supplement
As Orgel presents his succession of case studies he shows that careful attention to how books were used can enlarge our understanding of the purposes to which earlier readers put them.
Austen Saunders, Cambridge Quarterly