(print) xx, 448 p. ; 24 cm
2nd ed.

Foreword By Jonathan Rose ix -- Preface To The Second Edition xv -- Preface xix -- Introduction 1 -- The Background : 1477-1800 -- 1. From Caxton To The Eighteenth Century 15 -- 2. The Eighteenth Century 30 -- 3. The Time Of Crisis, 1791-1800 67 -- The Nineteenth Century -- 4. The Social Background 81 -- 5. Religion 99 -- 6. The Utilitarian Spirit 129 -- 7. Elementary Education And Literacy 141 -- 8. Secondary Education 173 -- 9. The Mechanics'institutes And After 188 -- 10. Public Libraries 213 -- 11. The Self-Made Reader 240 -- 12. The Book Trade, 1800-1850 260 -- 13. The Book Trade, 1851-1900 294 -- 14. Periodicals And Newspapers, 1800-1850 318 -- 15. Periodicals And Newspapers, 1851-1900 348 -- 16. The Past And The Present 365 -- Appendixes -- Appendix -- A. Chronology Of The Mass Reading Public, 1774-1900 379 -- B. Best-Sellers 381 -- C. Periodical And Newspaper Circulation 391