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Introduction: Books and Manuscripts in Wales

This introduction outlines the research context from which this special number arises. It opens with a discussion of the interdisciplinary conference 'Reading, Writing and Collecting: Books and Manuscripts in Wales, 1450–1850' and our rationale in our selection of papers from
 that conference. There follows an exploration of relevant historiography on this topic, drawing out areas of interest but also those where further work is needed. It concludes with a summary of the articles, their foci and approaches, and demonstrates the rich variety in the special number
 itself.