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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

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Record Number: 5835


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'During these twelve months [inprison] I read with deep interest and much profit Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Hume's "History of England", and many other standard works- amongst others, Mosheims "Ecclesiastical History". The reading of that book would have made me a freethinker if I had not been one before.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1823 and 31 Dec 1824

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Coldbath Fields
other location: Prison room shared with William Tunbridge

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

James Watson

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1799

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

Prisoner. Arrested when working as Shopman, in Richard Carlile's bookshop in the Strand, for selling a copy of Plamer's Principles of Nature..

Religion:

Church of England

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

Edward Gibbon

Title:

Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

Genre:

History

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)


Source Information:

Record ID:

5835

Source:

Print

Author:

n/a

Editor:

David Vincent

Title:

Testaments of Radicalism

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1977

Vol:

n/a

Page:

111

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

David Vincent (ed.), Testaments of Radicalism (London, 1977), p. 111, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=5835, accessed: 29 March 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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