Die Literarische welt des Mittelalters. By Claudia Brinker-von der Heyde. Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft, 2007. Pp. 191; 40 illustrations. EUR 29.90.

Brinker-von der Heyde's Die literarische Welt des Mittelalters makes a significant contribution to the ever-widening field of the history of the book. What makes brinker-von der Heyde's book particularly appropriate for the present time is the connections she draws between the current medium shift from physical book to digital texts, and the medieval one from orality to a "culture of the book." Concentrating on the German-speaking Middle Ages from about 800 to 1500, Brinker-von der Heyde traces the establishment of the (German) book by exploring both the material and the literary aspects of book production: from the making of parchment to the adaptation and re-presentation of known texts and stories.