Bookscape: Geographies of Printing and Publishing in London before 1800

by James Raven

This book offers fresh perspectives on the early modern and eighteenth-century book trade in London. Using a range of new illustrative and topographical evidence, James Raven reconstructs the communities of London printers, booksellers, and their associates, reassessing working practices and the changes brought to different neighborhoods. Raven probes ideas of place, space, and memory, and revisits ancient book trade sites from St. Paul’s Churchyard and Paternoster Row to Fleet Street, Little Britain, and Cornhill. Many traditional locations came to host new businesses and new social activities, and Raven shows how the transformation in publishing capacity relates to different sites of production. Raven reveals how particular sites allowed sharing and support between printers, stationers, and booksellers, and trade was boosted by nearby markets and services. Increased industry also attracted brash entrants to the book trade, not all of whom won approval. Illustrated throughout and featuring several newly created maps, Bookscape will appeal to anyone interested in the history of the book in London.

272 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15, 2014

About the author

James Russell Raven (born 13 April 1959) is a British scholar specializing in the history of the book. His published works include The English Novel 1770-1829 (2000), The Business of Books (2007), and What is the History of the Book? (2018). As of 2019, he was Professor Emeritus of history at the University of Essex.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Doris Raines · Rating 4 out of 5]

A. Person. Can. Wait. On. History. But. Know. One. Can. Re_write. History. Doris.