Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
What made circulating libraries so important to not just Jane Austen, but Georgian era women in general and what was the role of the humble Regency era novel in the whole affair? James Fordyce, in his Sermons to Young Women, counsels strongly against novels, the very sort of books offered by local and easily accessible circulating libraries. (Despite the face he had not read them, of course. But I digress…) He declared: What shall we …Continue reading →
Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
The Temple of Muses–jaw dropping bookseller of Jane Austen’s time. The Temple of Muses Billed as the “Cheapest Bookseller in the World,” the Temple of Muses enjoyed a reputation as being one of the biggest booksellers of the day. Run by Lackington Allen & Company at No. 32, Finsbury Place South, in Finsbury square from 1778-1798, the book store would publish catalogs ranging from twelve thousand to over thirty thousand titles. (Kind of makes the …Continue reading →
Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
Libraries as a social space Libraries were first and foremost a business, not a public service as we think of them today. Generally, they required a town with a population of at least two thousand to be profitable. Consequently, they were almost exclusively found in larger towns and resorts. Libraries could exist in smaller areas, but in those places, they were more of a sideline, added to an existing business. “In 1791, William Lane, famed …Continue reading →
Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
What were the ‘circulating libraries’ of Austen’s day and what was their role in society? “I have received a very civil note from Mrs. Martin, requesting my name as a Subscriber to her Library which opens January 14, & my name, or rather Yours, is accordingly given. My mother finds the Money. . . . As an inducement to subscribe, Mrs. Martin tells me that her Collection is not to consist only of Novels, but of every kind of literature, &c. …Continue reading →
Random Bits of FascinationPosted on by Maria Grace
“British Newspaper History”. Accessed September 6, 2018 https://www.999inks.co.uk/british-newspaper-history.html Book Shops” Georgian Index. 2003 Accessed August 29, 2018. http://www.georgianindex.net/books/Hatchard.html Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. New York: Tor, 1988. Austen, Jane, Terry Castle, and John Davie. Northanger Abbey ; Lady Susan ; The Watsons ; Sanditon. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. Austen, Jane, Marilyn Butler, and James Kinsley. Mansfield Park. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990. Austen, Jane, Claude Julien. Rawson, and John Davie. Persuasion. Oxford: Oxford University …Continue reading →
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