The book explains that the oral recitation of these sacred formulas is seen as a way to spiritually unite higher deities with mortals, and is an important part of Hindu rituals.
[2] The main part of the first volume of the Companion is made up of extended pieces that provide valuable context for understanding the worldwide history of the book.
Many of these pieces build on recent scholarly research on the spread of print and reading in the English-speaking world, such as the multivolume histories of the book in America, Britain, Canada, Australia, and Scotland.
The Companion also includes entries on the book in less well-known national histories, such as the Balkans, Korea, Japan, Southeast Asia, and the Nordic countries.
This makes it an important resource for those interested in the global history of the book, and helps to give non-Western traditions their rightful place in this story.