The Business of Books

In 1450, very few English men or women were personally familiar with a book; by 1850, the great majority of people daily encountered books, magazines, or newspapers. This book explores the history of this fundamental transformation, from the arrival of the printing press to the coming of steam. James Raven presents a lively and original account of the English book trade and the printers, booksellers, and entrepreneurs who promoted its development. Viewing print and book culture through the lens of commerce, Raven offers a new interpretation of the genesis of literature and literary commerce in England. He draws on extensive archival sources to reconstruct the successes and failures of those involved in the book trade - a cast of heroes and heroines, villains, and rogues. And, through groundbreaking investigations of neglected aspects of book trade history, Raven thoroughly revises our understanding of the massive popularization of the book and the dramatic expansion of its markets over the centuries.

ISBN 0300122616   Pages 448 ISBN13 9780300122619 (What's this?)   Volumes 1 Publisher Yale University Press   Weight (grammes) 975 Imprint Yale University Press   Published in New Haven Format Hardback   Height (mm) 234 Publication date 29 May 2007   Width (mm) 156 Library of Congress 2006032910   Spine width (mm) 45 DEWEY 381.450020941   Academic level Professional / Scholarly, General DEWEY edition DC22

Ch. 1		Introduction : the enterprise of booksellers		1
Ch. 2		The arrival of print : domestic and foreign		11
Ch. 3		Markets and martyrs : early modern commerce		46
Ch. 4		The late Stuart trade : new horizons		83
Ch. 5		Investing in books : the supremacy of the booksellers		119
Ch. 6		High and low : locating the trades		154
Ch. 7		Boosting demand : stationers, printers, and sellers		193
Ch. 8		Challenges and survivals : the late eighteenth century		221
Ch. 9		Promoting the wares		257
Ch. 10		Risking failure		294
Ch. 11		Steam and stamps : nineteenth-century transformation		320
Ch. 12		Conclusion		351

"'The sweep of this book is remarkable - it single-handedly covers 400 years of the English book trade.' John Barnard, University of Leeds 'This is a compendious, confident and fascinating work, the fruit of years of scholarship.' John Mullan, University of London"

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