My intention in this work is to raise a number of questions and to examine curious aspects of the relationship between man and book. The analysis of these points begins with the man-book relatioship from the perspective of the contemporary literary theories - from the 1960´s on. Next comes the analysis of the historical perspective - the importance of the evolution and development of the shape of the book itself as an object, since the first stone and clay tablets to the hardback brochure we know today; and from the aesthetical and sensorial point of view - aspects of the material nature of the paper, of the typography, the shape, the cover, the weight, the graphic design and layout work. The analysis of these factors establish the basis to a thorough research about the evolution of the interactions of the literary system in Brazil, the role played by its agents and the interaction that occurs between their actions and those of the society and the remaining systems. This work intends to investigate in which ways the development of the physical aspects of the book throught the centuries has mirrored and paralleled the evolution of the relationship between man and book. The climax of such interaction can be sampled in the post modern literary production, whose borders have been extended beyond the limits of the physical object of the book, mobilizing man´s senses and allowing the exploration of graphic e text resources that expand the experience of reading.