It is easy to forget in our own day of cheap paperbacks and mega-bookstores that, until very recently, books were luxury items. Those who could not afford to buy had to borrow, share, obtain secondhand, inherit, or listen to others reading. This book examines how people acquired and read books from the sixteenth century to the present, focusing on the personal relationships between readers and the volumes they owned. Margaret Willes considers a selection of private and public libraries across the period—most of which have survived—showing the diversity of book owners and borrowers, from country-house aristocrats to modest farmers, from Regency ladies of leisure to working men and women. Exploring the collections of avid readers such as Samuel Pepys, Thomas Jefferson, Sir John Soane, Thomas Bewick, and Denis and Edna Healey, Margaret Willes also investigates the means by which books were sold, lending fascinating insights into the ways booksellers and publishers marketed their wares. For those who are interested in books and reading, and especially those who treasure books, this book and its bounty of illustrations will inform, entertain, and inspire. "[Willes] tackles her subject with considerable learning and with a gusto atypical of a scholarly volume. . . . There's a wealth of information here."— Publishers Weekly ( Publishers Weekly 2008-09-29) "A handsome, richly illustrated ramble through the history of book buying. . . . This is a charming book, full of digressions—biographical and historical nuggets abound—but it is also clearly the fruit of a remarkable range and depth of research."—Peter Walpole, Virginia Quarterly Review (Peter Walpole Virginia Quarterly Review 2009-03-01) ". . . . This is a fascinating book for anyone with a touch of bibliomania. . . . Much of the information is relevant to book lovers and librarians everywhere. After reading this book, you'll never think of book ownership in quite the same way again."— Academia ( Academia ) “. . . enchanting and delightful. . . . Willes’s diligent and skillful research in a wide range of archives is demonstrated on every page. . . . [C]aptivating; it is at once both instructive and entertaining. Anyone who loves books and their history will love Reading Matters.” — Peter H. Reid, Library and Information History (Peter H. Reid Library and Information History ) Margaret Willes , the former Publisher for the National Trust, has written and illustrated numerous books. She lives in London.