This is a fascinating study of the history and culture of reading, focusing on 'silent reading' practices that developed during the late Middle Ages and Renaissance periods. The authors explore the social, cultural, and technological changes that gave rise to silent reading, and discuss its impact on literacy, education, and intellectual life. The Silent Readers is an important work for anyone interested in the history of books, reading, and literary culture. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.