"An enthralling, timely, and spirited tour through the history of the book... Powerful... Portable Magic brims with insights, causing its reader to feel as though it might at any moment burst forth from its binding... A remarkable reminder of how books bear witness to their own histories -- as well as, in various senses, those of their readers."
--Daniel Blank, Los Angeles Review of Books
"A delightful examination of the symbol and meaning behind physical texts, for people who love books... [Smith] argues convincingly, a book is never just a book. And perhaps that's why despite a decade of premature obituaries, books are alive as ever."
--Randy Rosenthal, Minneapolis Star Tribune"Long after details of plot, character, and setting have vanished from memory, the sensual traces of a book's paper, typeface, and binding linger... Emma Smith wants us to focus on the materiality of those packages of ink squiggles that inform, amuse, annoy, and inspire us... While she revels in the dazzling variety of physical objects we can call books, Smith also cautions against 'a curious overinvestment in the book as a sacred object.' Her own breezy book is meant not to be collected but to be read."
--Steven G. Kellman, The American Scholar"A lively and engaging survey... Covers an impressive amount of ground... Though Portable Magic reflects the work of a careful scholar, it will delight the thoughtful general reader. Any bibliophile will come away from it with a renewed appreciation for books and the central role they still play in our lives."
-- BookPage"Smith's work is a delight for bibliophiles, historians, and curious readers craving an unconventional piece of nonfiction... The author's trenchant analysis, attention to detail, and conversational tone combine to make a page-turning historical study... A fascinating material history of the book told through a geopolitical lens."
-- Kirkus"Entertaining... With wit and verve, Smith concludes that a book becomes a book 'in the hands of its readers... a book that is not handled and read is not really a book at all.' Readers should make space on their shelves for this dazzling and provocative study."
--Publishers Weekly, starred"Amusing, informative and reverential, Portable Magic is an invitation to dwell on and celebrate the book in its physical form, resulting in nothing short of a reader's delight... Razor-sharp... All this is done with a conversational levity that is both beguiling and surprising: I did not expect to be laughing out loud at this book... Portable Magic is so well-written that you'll be itching to mark up multiple lines."
