'Grossly Material Things' : Women and Book Production in Early Modern England

In A Room Of One's Own, Virginia Woolf Described Fictions As 'grossly Material Things', Rooted In Their Physical And Economic Contexts. This Book Takes Woolf's Brief Hint As Its Starting Point, Asking Who Made The Books Of The English Renaissance, And What The Material Circumstances Were In Which They Did So. It Charts A New History Of Making And Use, Recovering The Ways In Which Women Shaped And Altered The Books Of This Crucial Period, As Co-authors, Editors, Translators, Patrons, Printers, Booksellers, And Readers. Drawing On Evidence From A Wide Range Of Sources, Including Court Records, Letters, Diaries, Medical Texts, And The Books Themselves, 'grossly Material Things' Moves Between The Realms Of Manuscript And Print, And Tells The Stories Of Literary, Political, And Religious Texts From Broadside Ballads To Plays, Monstrous Birth Pamphlets To Editions Of The Bible. In Uncovering The Neglected History Of Women's Textual Labours, And The Places And Spaces In Which Women Went About The Business Of Making, Helen Smith Offers A New Perspective On The History Of Books And Reading. Where Woolf Believed That Shakespeare's Sister, Had She Existed, Would Have Had No Opportunity To Pursue A Literary Career, 'grossly Material Things' Paints A Compelling Picture Of Judith Shakespeare's Varied Job Prospects, And Promises To Reshape Our Understanding Of Gendered Authorship In The English Renaissance-- Virginia Woolf Described Fictions As 'grossly Material Things', Rooted In Their Physical And Economic Contexts. This Book Takes Woolf's Hint As Its Starting Point, Asking Who Made The Books Of The English Renaissance. It Recovering The Ways In Which Women Participated As Co-authors, Editors, Translators, Patrons, Printers, Booksellers, And Readers-- 'pen'd With Double Art' : Women At The Scene Of Writing -- 'a Dame, An Owner, A Defendresse' : Women, Patronage, And Print -- 'a Free Stationers Wife Of This Companye' : Women And The Stationers -- 'certaine Women Brokers And Peddlers' : Beyond The London Book Trades -- 'no Deformitie Can Abide Before The Sunne ': Imagining Early Modern Women's Reading. Helen Smith. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "In A Room of One's Own, Virginia Woolf described fictions as 'grossly material things', rooted in their physical and economic contexts. This book takes Woolf's brief hint as its starting point, asking who made the books of the English Renaissance, and what the material circumstances were in which they did so. It charts a new history of making and use, recovering the ways in which women shaped and altered the books of this crucial period, as co-authors, editors, translators, patrons, printers, booksellers, and readers. Drawing on evidence from a wide range of sources, including court records, letters, diaries, medical texts, and the books themselves, 'Grossly Material Things' moves between the realms of manuscript and print, and tells the stories of literary, political, and religious texts from broadside ballads to plays, monstrous birth pamphlets to editions of the Bible. In uncovering the neglected history of women's textual labours, and the places and spaces in which women went about the business of making, Helen Smith offers a new perspective on the history of books and reading. Where Woolf believed that Shakespeare's sister, had she existed, would have had no opportunity to pursue a literary career, 'Grossly Material Things' paints a compelling picture of Judith Shakespeare's varied job prospects, and promises to reshape our understanding of gendered authorship in the English Renaissance"-- Provided by publisher Frontmatter List of Abbreviations (page xi) List of Illustrations (page xiii) Note to the Reader (page xv) Introduction: 'Grossly Material Things' (page 1) 1. 'Pen'd with double art': Women at the Scene of Writing (page 16) 2. 'A dame, an owner, a defendresse': Women, Patronage, and Print (page 53) 3. 'A free Stationers wife of this compnaye': Women and the Stationers (page 87) 4. 'Certaine women brokers and peddlers': Beyond the London Book Trades (page 135) 5. 'No deformitie can abide before the sunne': Imagining Early Modern Women's Reading (page 174) Epilogue: Books on the Body (page 212) Bibliography (page 218) Index (page 247) Machine generated contents note: List of abbreviations List of illustrations Acknowledgments Note to the reader Introduction: 'Grossly Material Things' 1. 'Pen'd with double art': Women at the Scene of Writing 2. 'A dame, an owner, a defendresse': Women, Patronage, and Print 3. 'A free Stationers wife of this companye': Women and the Stationers 4. 'Certaine women brokers and peddlers': Beyond the London Book Trades 5. 'No deformitie can abide before the sunne': Imagining Early Modern Women's Reading Bibliography of Works Cited Index. "Virginia Woolf described fictions as 'grossly material things', rooted in their physical and economic contexts. This book takes Woolf's hint as its starting point, asking who made the books of the English Renaissance. It recovering the ways in which women participated as co-authors, editors, translators, patrons, printers, booksellers, and readers"-- Provided by publisher