Consuming texts : readers and reading communities, 1695-1870

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.

• List of Figures p. vi
• Acknowledgements p. vii
• Introduction: Consuming Texts p. viii
• 1 Reading Has a History p. 1
• 2 Reworking the Word: Readers and their Manuscript Books, 1695-1730 p. 29
• 3 Diversities of Reading Practice, 1695-1770 p. 64
• 4 The Circulating Library, Book Club and Subscription Library: Readers and Reading Communities, 1770-1800 p. 88
• 5 Communal Practice and Individual Response: Reading in the Late Romantic Period p. 118
• 6 Towards a Mass Audience, or, John Clare and the Problem of the Unknown Public p. 146
• Conclusion: Texts Consumed p. 176
• Notes p. 180
• Select Bibliography p. 211
• Index p. 227