book
Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions
Salomon, Richard. Indian Epigraphy: A Guide to the Study of Inscriptions in Sanskrit, Prakrit, and the Other Indo-Aryan Languages. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.
Why this matters here
Richard Salomon's survey of Indian epigraphy explains inscriptions, language, scripts, and public settings. The chapter cites it specifically where Ashokan texts varied in wording and audience across locations, rather than using an epigraphic handbook as evidence for every action of the emperor.
