Discover Books in Chains: And Other Bibliographical Papers by William Blades, a classic work of bibliography and book history that explores the fascinating evolution of books, printing, and libraries. Published posthumously in 1892, this volume brings together a collection of Blades's scholarly essays on the history of books and printing. The title essay examines the medieval practice of chaining valuable books to library shelves for security, while other papers discuss the development of printers' signatures, the origins of typography, the invention of printing, early Greek typefaces, and England's earliest printing presses. Many of these essays first appeared in The Book-worm between 1869 and 1889. William Blades (1824–1890) was an English printer, bibliographer, and one of the foremost historians of early printing. Best known for The Enemies of Books and his pioneering research on William Caxton, Blades made lasting contributions to the study of bibliography, typography, and the history of the printed book. This carefully formatted Public Domain edition preserves the complete original text, making it an excellent addition to collections of bibliography, library science, book history, typography, printing history, and literary scholarship.