This book provides an overview of the establishment and use of parish libraries in early modern England and includes a thematic analysis of surviving marginalia and readers' marks. This book is the first direct and detailed analysis of parish libraries in early modern England and uses a case-study approach to the examination of foundation practices, physical and intellectual accessibility, the nature of the collections, and the ways in which people used these libraries and read their books.
Jessica G. Purdy, PhD (2021, Manchester Metropolitan University) is Associate Lecturer in Early Modern British History at the University of St Andrews. Her research focuses on books, libraries, gender, and identity in the early modern period. She co-published an edited volume,
Communities of Print, with Brill in 2021.
This book will appeal to academics, librarians, postgraduate researchers, and postgraduate and undergraduate students with an interest in the history of the book, the history of libraries, and the history of reading. Keywords: history of reading; history of the book; library history; marginalia; readers' marks.