Kingdoms of memory. Empires of Ink

This book delves into the historical evolution of an extraordinary concept of the book that emerged in South Asia, particularly with regard to the Veda. By the 19th century, there was a noticeable disparity and spatial fragmentation in the development of regional print cultures across the Indian subcontinent. These cultures evolved by drawing from local communication patterns, power structures, patronage systems, and a nascent economic regime. This growth occurred amidst significant changes in governance, authority, and communication within the subcontinent, which was increasingly being integrated into the global framework of the British Empire. The era marked a shift in the locations of knowledge production and the redistribution of text-circulation networks towards newly burgeoning urban areas. This book seeks to explore how these emerging regional print cultures fostered conditions for, encouraged, and accommodated diverse initiatives in publishing printed editions of Vedic texts. It also examines how these efforts left unique imprints on their editorial guidelines, book designs, typographic styles, and publishing philosophies.