This work investigates how the advent and evolution of the printing press fundamentally shaped the development, dissemination, and cultural perception of European theater between 1480 and 1880. Julie Stone Peters, a scholar of literature and theater history, utilizes a vast array of primary sources—including playtexts, engravings, and notation systems—to argue that print culture was not merely a secondary medium for drama but a primary force in the construction of theatrical identity. By examining the interplay between the page and the stage, the author demonstrates how the material history of the book influenced the conceptual framework of performance over four centuries.

Scholars and historians frequently cite this work as a foundational text for understanding the intersection of bibliography and performance studies. Readers often note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous, well-documented account of how print technology transformed the theatrical landscape.