This work investigates the formation, utilization, and eventual dispersal of the monastic library at Reading Abbey from its twelfth-century foundation through its dissolution and subsequent scattering by 1610. Alan Coates, a scholar of medieval bibliography, utilizes surviving manuscripts and historical records to reconstruct the intellectual environment of the abbey. He argues that the abbey's collection serves as a microcosm for broader trends in English monastic book culture, providing a detailed case study of how religious houses curated and lost their literary heritage during the Reformation.

Experts recognize this monograph as a foundational text for understanding the specific bibliographical history of Reading Abbey. Scholars frequently cite the work for its meticulous archival research and its contribution to the study of monastic book distribution in post-Reformation England.