This coursebook can be used to support any pedagogical or research activities in text technologies, the history of the book, the history of information, and textually-based work in the digital humanities. Through careful explanations of the field, examinations of terminology and themes, and illustrated case studies of diverse texts - from the Cyrus cylinder to the Eagles' "Hotel California" - Elaine Treharne and Claude Willan offer a clear yet nuanced overview of how humans convey meaning.