New directions in book history. Contents: Introduction; 'Books Are an Integral Part of One's Life': Evaluating the Evidence of Conrad's Reading; 'Read by Chance on the Indian Ocean': Reconstructing Conrad's Maritime Reading; 'A Book, Not Bemused by the Cleverness of the Day': Marlow as a Reader; 'A Conrad Archipelago Replete with Islands': Edwardian Reading Communities; 'Gifted with Tenderness and Intelligence': Conrad's Reading Women; Conclusion; Index.