Cultural History of Reading

Subjects:

• Literature » American Literature
• Literature » World Literature
• Communications » Books & Publishing

Reviews:

• "…The essays, written by scholars in the fields of English, history, languages, and cultural studies, share a common theme of relating how key cultural events and changes are linked to what people read in any given period of time. The chapters share a standard format: a chronology, a historical introduction, and an overview of reading trends and practices, followed by an examination of several specific trends and texts. Each chapter closes with a list of recommended readings. Although other works have examined the history of reading in particular cultures or at particular times, presently this is the most comprehensive work on the subject, and as such, is certain to be an indispensable addition to any academic collection. Essential. Upper-level undergraduates through faculty/researchers."
  —CHOICE 5/1/2009
• "In a series of concise entries that span Europe, the Americas, Oceania, Asia and Africa, we are reminded that what we read creates and recreates us. In the first volume the contributors describe the growth of literature and the development of reading in the US, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, Russia, the Mid-East, imperial and postimperial China, Britain, and Europe, with sections covering ancient Greece, early Christianity, the medieval period, the Renaissance, the early modern period, the Enlightenment, the era of empire and colonialism, modernism and postmodernism. In the second volume contributors concentrate on American literature, focusing on settlement, the development of national identity, slavery and civil war, the world wars and the period between them, the collide of cultures and the rise of a new, uncertain century. The result is an able description of literary trajectory and a cogent analysis of readership and its effects."
  —Reference & Research Book News May 2009
• "Though book-loving browsers will find countless fascinating facts here, the work is best suited to those who need in-depth information on literary works and authors, and those taking Advanced Placement history classes. ...Well executed, thorough, and enjoyable."
  —School Library Journal 6/1/2009
• "Greenwood's Cultural History of Reading offers a fascinating picture of what people in different nations and at different times have read, and how their reading in turned helped shape their cultures. . . . Those interested in publishing history, the history of the book, and in all genres of literature will benefit from the concise accounts of reading habits around the world and throughout time. This set is highly recommended for academic and large public libraries supporting a strong collection in literature and world history."
  —Oklahoma Librarian July/August 2009

Table of Contents:

• Volume 1
  01 Frontmatter and Introduction
  1.1 The Americas: Canada
  1.3 The Americas: Latin American Diaspora
  2.2 Britain and Europe: The Emergence of Christianity
  2.5 Britain and Europe: The Enlightenment
  2.6 Europe and Britain: Romanticism and the Nineteenth Century
  2.7 Europe and Britain: Modern Europe and Britain
  2.8 Europe and Britain: Postmodern Europe and Britain
  2.9 Europe and Britain: The Soviet Union (U.S.S.R.)/ post-Soviet Russia
  3.1 Asia and the Pacific Imperial China
  3.2 Asia and the Pacific Modern China
  3.4 Asia and the Pacific Korea
  3.5 Asia and the Pacific Australia and New Zealand
  3.6 Asia and the Pacific: The South Pacific and Melanesia
  4.1 South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent: Classical Period
  4.2 India and the Sub-Continent: European Arrival and the Colonial Period
  4.3 South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent: Independent India
  4.4 South Asia and the Indian Subcontinent: Contemporary India
  5.2 Africa and the Middle East: Turkish Reading Culture during the Ottoman Empire
  5.3 Africa and the Middle East: The Modern Middle East
  5.4 Africa and the Middle East: Postcolonial Africa
  6.0 Works Cited
  Table of Contents Volume 2
  1. Reading in the Era of Discovery and Exploration: prior to 1700
  2. Reading during Settlement and Colonization: 1700-1776
  3. Reading in the Revolution and the New Republic: 1776-1820
  4. Reading and National Identity: 1820-1860
  5. Reading Slavery and the Civil War: 1861-1865
  6. Reading and the Growth of a Nation: 1865-1913
  7. From the Great War through the Great Depression: 1914-1940
  8. Reading and the Second World War: 1941-1960
  9. Reading Rebellions and Countercultures: 1960s-1070s
  10. Reading and the (Sub)cultures of the late twentieth-century: 1979-1999
  11. Reading in the 21st Century: 2000 to the present

PDF Catalogs:
Greenwood School and Public Library Reference Spring 2008.pdf	Greenwood Literature Spring 2008.pdf
Academic Library Fall 2008.pdf	Greenwood School and Public Library Reference 2009.pdf
Greenwood Spring Reference 2008.pdf	Academic Library Spring 2009.pdf