Women’s Labour and the History of the Book in Early Modern England

Women’s Labour and the History of the Book in Early Modern England
Author(s):

This collection reveals the valuable work that women achieved in publishing, printing, writing and reading early modern English books, from those who worked in the book trade to those who composed, selected, collected and annotated books. Women gathered rags for paper production, invested in books and oversaw the presses that printed them. Their writing and reading had an impact on their contemporaries and the developing literary canon. A focus on women's work enables these essays to recognize the various forms of labour -- textual and social as well as material and commercial -- that women of different social classes engaged in. Those considered include the very poor, the middling sort who were active in the book trade, and the elite women authors and readers who participated in literary communities. Taken together, these essays convey the impressive work that women accomplished and their frequent collaborations with others in the making, marking, and marketing of early modern English books.

Review(s):

“An arresting and important volume that rethinks the role of women in book history.” —Times Literary Supplement

“The scholars here have performed impressive acts of archival investigation, much dust has been kicked up, but it has the benefit of clearing the air and making it possible to see the truly impressive busyness of business women, urban scavengers, and noble ladies of leisure alike.” —Maureen Quilligan, Duke University, USA

ISBN:  9781350246638