Towsey, Mark - Reading History in Britain and America, C. 1750 - C. 1840

Cambridge, UK, Cambridge University Press, 2019. Hardcover. Octavo. Hardcover. Bound in black cloth with matte jacket. 304 pages ; 24 cm. The period between c.1750 and c.1840 is popularly known for the rise of the novel, yet historical works by Enlightenment writers, including David Hume, Edward Gibbon and William Robertson, were some of its most commercially successful books. Moving beyond the range of previous studies that have sought to explain this success by focussing on publishers, writers and their ideas, Mark Towsey's study is the first to focus on the reading audiences themselves. Drawing on a variety of sources including marginalia, letters, diaries and commonplace books, this lively book reveals why histories were so widely read, and shows how they were used by readers across the English-speaking world to make sense of social upheaval at home and revolution abroad. In doing so, it marks a major addition to the history of reading, shedding fascinating new light on how readers interpreted books in the past. As new .

See/Hide Conditions of Sale

Following conditions of sale apply:
Terms of Sale

Books are sold net plus a min. $7.99 s&h. Typically, my books are heavier or larger than standard books, and most orders ship at cost + $4 for handling and supplies. I use the United States Post Office for all my shipping. I extend 10% trade discount.

I accept cash, money orders, PAYPAL, VISA, Mastercard, Discover as methods of payment. I also trade on occasion. I am able to extend credit to those institutions which desire to sell or trade duplicates and discards but are not allowed or able to accept cash payments for such material.

Books may be returned if not as described providing they enter the return mail-stream within seven (7) days of arrival and rejection by the customer. Booklets 16 pages and less are not returnable for any reason. Books returned to me outside of these conditions will not be refunded and will not be returned to the original purchaser until the same s&h charges that were originally charged are paid again to facilitate such return. This has only been an issues three times in 19 years, however.

Also, I maintain want lists in these areas, and conduct searches for any title my customers seek, whether in my field of expertise of not. I buy and sell collections and libraries of books in the topic areas listed above and offer collection development service. Books are available for viewing by appointment. I am located in the scenic Amish Country of Lancaster County, PA, 90 minutes from Philadelphia, 2 hours from Washington, DC and 4 hours from New York City.