I went to a few - not many! - lectures by Steen when I was an
undergraduate. He would come in with an ancient, yellowing, and battered
wodge of notes and copy out what were to me incomprehensible extracts from
them. I soon gave up his course.
As I understand it, his book was a worked-up version of those notes. A
malicious friend relates how he found himself sitting next to Steen at a
feast in Christs College, their old Cambridge college. He asked how the
book was doing; Steen replied, rather sadly: "Not very well. It's only sold
six copies so far."
I can't remember the actual number; it may have been even less, and I will
check when I see him next. But it might indicate that it will now be
difficult to locate a copy.
David Fowler