French Book Trade in Enlightenment Europe I: Selling Enlightenment

This volume is a ground-breaking contribution to enlightenment studies and the international and cross-cultural history of print. It traces the output and dissemination of books and how reading tastes changed in the years 1769-1794, using the archives of the Société Typographique de Neuchâtel (STN). It is the most diverse and detailed study of the late 18th-century book trade yet, offering fresh insights into the enlightenment.

Format: Hardback
Length: 248 pages
Publication date: 09 August 2018
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

This groundbreaking work in the fields of enlightenment studies and international and cross-cultural history of print represents the culmination of a five-year research project. The volume meticulously traces the production and dissemination of books during the period from 1769 to 1794, delving into the shifting reading preferences of the time. By meticulously mapping the book trade operations of the Société Typographique de Neuchâtel (STN), a Swiss publisher-wholesaler with a presence throughout Europe, the authors reconstruct the cosmopolitan elite culture of the later enlightenment, incorporating numerous captivating case studies. The STN's archives are exceptionally rich in both detail and breadth, and while these archives have long been of interest to book historians, existing work remains fragmented and limited in scope. Through a comparative analysis, the author examines the entire book market across Europe, considering local, regional, and chronological nuances based on advanced taxonomies of subject content, author information, markers of illegality, and numerous other factors. In essence, this volume stands as the most comprehensive and detailed study of the late 18th-century book trade to date, while also providing fresh perspectives on the enlightenment.

Weight: 560g
Dimension: 162 x 240 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781441178909