An introduction to annotation as a genre--a synthesis of reading thinking writing and
communication--and its significance in scholarship and everyday life. Annotation--the addition
of a note to a text--is an everyday and social activity that provides information shares
commentary sparks conversation expresses power and aids learning. It helps mediate the
relationship between reading and writing. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge
series offers an introduction to annotation and its literary scholarly civic and everyday
significance across historical and contemporary contexts. It approaches annotation as a
genre--a synthesis of reading thinking writing and communication--and offer examples of
annotation that range from medieval rubrication and early book culture to data labeling and
online reviews.
