9 6 0 s . ▁Ar ound ▁that ▁time ▁Ang lo - American ▁university ▁literature ▁depart ments ▁began ▁to ▁witness ▁a ▁rise ▁of ▁a ▁more ▁explicitly ▁philosoph ical ▁literary ▁theory , ▁influenced ▁by ▁struct ural ism , ▁then ▁post - struct ural ism , ▁and ▁other ▁kinds ▁of ▁Cont inental ▁philosophy . ▁It ▁continued ▁until ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 8 0 s , ▁when ▁interest ▁in ▁" theory " ▁pe aked . ▁Many ▁later ▁critics , ▁though ▁und ou bt edly ▁still ▁influenced ▁by ▁theoretical ▁work , ▁have ▁been ▁comfortable ▁simply ▁interpre ting ▁literature ▁rather ▁than ▁writing ▁explicitly ▁about ▁method ology ▁and ▁philosoph ical ▁pres um ptions . ▁ ▁History ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁ ▁Rel ated ▁to ▁other ▁forms ▁of ▁literary ▁criticism , ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁the ▁book ▁is ▁a ▁field ▁of ▁inter dis cipl inary ▁inqu iry ▁drawing ▁on ▁the ▁methods ▁of ▁bibli ography , ▁cultural ▁history , ▁history ▁of ▁literature , ▁and ▁media ▁theory . ▁Princi p ally ▁concerned ▁with ▁the ▁production , ▁circul ation , ▁and ▁reception ▁of ▁texts ▁and ▁their ▁material ▁forms , ▁book ▁history ▁see ks ▁to ▁connect ▁forms ▁of ▁text ual ity ▁with ▁their ▁material ▁aspects . ▁ ▁Among ▁the ▁issues ▁within ▁the ▁history ▁of ▁literature ▁with ▁which ▁book ▁history ▁can ▁be ▁seen ▁to ▁intersect ▁are : ▁the ▁development ▁of ▁author ship ▁as ▁a ▁profession , ▁the ▁formation ▁of ▁reading ▁aud ien ces , ▁the ▁constraints ▁of ▁c ensor ship ▁and ▁copy right , ▁and ▁the ▁econom ics ▁of ▁literary ▁form . ▁ ▁Current ▁state ▁