THE 2010 PANIZZI LECTURES
London Booksites. Places of Printing and Publication before 1800.
A series of three lectures by Professor James Raven
At 18.15 in the Conference Centre, British Library, Euston Road
This series of lectures offers fresh perspectives on the early modern and eighteenth-century book trade in England. London dominated this industry, but relatively little has been known about the commercial environments in which books were published. Using a range of new illustrative and topographical evidence, James Raven will reconstruct the different communities of London printers, booksellers and their associates, reassessing working practices and the changes brought to different neighbourhoods.
James Raven FSA FRHistS is Professor of Modern History at the University of Essex and Director of the Cambridge Project for the Book Trust. His recent publications include The Business of Books: Booksellers and the English Book Trade 1450-1850 (London and New Haven, 2007); Lost Libraries: The Destruction of Book Collections since Antiquity (London, 2004), and London Booksellers and American Customers: Transatlantic Literary Community and the Charleston Library Society, 1748-1811 (Columbia, SC, 2002)
Lecture One
Wednesday 27 October 2010 18.15-19.30
ANTIENT SHOPS AND CONVERSIBLE MEN
The first lecture will revisit ancient book trade sites from Westminster, St Paul’s Churchyard and London Bridge to Fleet Street and the emergent district of Little Britain at the end of the seventeenth century. Many traditional locations, including Paternoster Row, came to host new businesses and new social activities.
Lecture Two
Wednesday 3 November 2010 18.15-19.30
VERSATILITY AND THE GLOOMY STORES OF LITERATURE
The second lecture will show how the transformation in publishing capacity (from the Strand to Cornhill) relates to different sites of production and to different ways of making books public. Booksellers found new opportunities to alter shops and operations, and the working environment brought new challenges and difficulties.
Lecture Three
Wednesday 10 November 2010 18.15-19.30
INDUSTRY, FASHION, AND PETTIFOGGING DRIVELLERS
This final lecture examines changing activities in both ancient and newly built parts of London in the eighteenth century. The siting of bookshops and printing houses allowed sharing and support; and trade was boosted by nearby markets and services. Increased industry also brought fresh participants, not all of whom won approval.
Free Admission
Please note that these events are not ticketed and seats will be allocated on the night on a first come, first served basis.