This volume explores the history of reading in the British Isles during a period in which the printed word became all pervasive. From wealthy readers of 'amatory fiction', through to men and women reading surreptitiously at the Victorian railway bookstall, it argues that a variety of new reading communities emerged during this period.
Consuming Texts: Readers and Reading Communities, 1695-1870
Table of contents
Introduction: Consuming Texts Reading Has a History Reworking the Word: Readers and Their Manuscript Books, 1695-1730 Diversities of Reading Practice, 1695-1770 The Circulating Library, Book Club and Subscription Library- Readers and Reading Communities, 1770-1800 Communal Practice and Individual Response- Reading in the Late-Romantic Period Towards a Mass Audience, Or, John Clare and the Problem of the Unknown Public Conclusion: Texts Consumed Bibliography