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

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Record Number: 1406


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

William Wordsworth discusses reading habits of the local labouring classes in letter to Francis Wrangham, 5 June 1808: ' ... I find, among the people I am speaking of, half-penny Ballads, and penny and two-penny histories, in great abundance; these are often bought as charitable tributes to the poor Persons who hawk them about (and it is the best way of procuring them); they are frequently stitched together in tolerably thick volumes, and such I have read; some of the contents, though not often religious, very good; others objectionable, either for the superstition in them (such as prophecies, fortune-telling, etc.) or more frequently for indelicacy.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

unknown

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

n/a

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:

William Wordsworth

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

7 Apr 1770

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer

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:

Title:

["penny and two-penny histories"]

Genre:

Fiction, History

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

1406

Source:

Print

Author:

William and Dorothy Wordsworth

Editor:

Ernest De Selincourt

Title:

The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth: The Middle Years Part I (1806-1811)

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date of Publication:

1969

Vol:

1

Page:

248

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

William and Dorothy Wordsworth, Ernest De Selincourt (ed.), The Letters of William and Dorothy Wordsworth: The Middle Years Part I (1806-1811) (Oxford, 1969), 1, p. 248, http://can-red-lec.library.dal.ca/Arts/RED/record_details.php?id=1406, accessed: 19 April 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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