A vivid exploration of the evolution of reading as an essential social and domestic activity during the eighteenth century
Two centuries before the advent of radio, television, and motion pictures, books were a cherished form of popular entertainment and an integral component of domestic social life. In this fascinating and vivid history, Abigail Williams explores the ways in which shared reading shaped the lives and literary culture of the time, offering new perspectives on how books have been used by their readers, and the part they have played in middle-class homes and families.
Drawing on marginalia, letters and diaries, library catalogues, elocution manuals, subscription lists, and more, Williams offers fresh and fascinating insights into reading, performance, and the history of middle-class home life.
- ISBN10 0300208294
- ISBN13 9780300208290
- Publish Date 2 August 2017 (first published 27 June 2017)
- Publish Status Active
- Out of Print 9 March 2022
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Yale University Press
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 368
- Language English