The Social Life of Books: Reading Together in the Eighteenth-Century Home (The Lewis Walpole Series in Eighteenth-Century Culture and History)

"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."-- Provided by publisher “A lively survey...her research and insights make us conscious of how we, today, use books.”—John Sutherland, The New York Times Book Review 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 eighteenth century, 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. “Williams’s charming pageant of anecdotes...conjures a world strikingly different from our own but surprisingly similar in many ways, a time when reading was on the rise and whole worlds sprang up around it.”—TheWashington Post “A lively survey...her research and insights make us conscious of how we, today, use books.”—John Sutherland, The New York Times Book Review 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 eighteenth century, 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. “Williams’s charming pageant of anecdotes...conjures a world strikingly different from our own but surprisingly similar in many ways, a time when reading was on the rise and whole worlds sprang up around it.”— The Washington Post 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. This history 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 that they have played in middle-class homes and families. Drawing on marginalia, letters and diaries, library catalogues, elocution manuals, subscription lists, and more, the book offers fresh and fascinating insights into reading, performance, and the history of middle-class home life. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Contents 6 Acknowledgments 8 Introduction: Home Improvements 12 1. How to Read 22 2. Reading and Sociability 47 3. Using Books 75 4. Access to Reading 106 5. Verse at Home 138 6. Drama and Recital 180 7. Fictional Worlds 215 8. Piety and Knowledge 250 Afterword 286 Notes 290 Index 352 A 352 B 352 C 353 D 354 E 355 F 355 G 355 H 356 I 356 J 357 K 357 L 357 M 358 N 358 O 359 P 359 R 360 S 360 T 361 V 362 W 362 Y 362 Z 362