The Oxford handbook of publishing Publishing is one of the oldest and most influential businesses in the world. It remains an essential creative and knowledge industry worth over $140 billion a year which continues to shape our education and culture. Two trends make this a particularly exciting time. The first is the revolution in communications technology that has transformed what it means to publish; far from resting on their laurels and retreating into tradition publishers are doing as they always have staying on the cutting edge. The second is the growing body of academic work that studies publishing in its many forms. Both mean that there has never been a more important time to examine this essential practice and the current state of knowledge.