Brought to Book

This book considers what was written, printed, published, owned and sometimes read in Ireland between 1680 and 1784. It seeks to evaluate the ephemeral and what has subsequently vanished in order to challenge some common assumptions about the nature and impact of print during the period. It is based on the surviving texts and the letters and comments of contemporaries. Peopled with authors, publishers, and readers, it offers a novel approach to the history of the book in Ireland. Also, it places print in the mental and material cultures of the eighteenth century, and among the efforts to subordinate Ireland more firmly to England. It suggests how enthusiastically Ireland plunged into the cultural currents of the eighteenth century-cosmopolitan rather than introverted and insular. *** "e;...this is a superb book and an important addition to the literature not just of the book trade but of the wider culture of eighteenth century Ireland. Barnard has done a magificent job in assembling a vast range of material and analysing it into a fascinating narrative."e; --The Library, 7.18.4, December 2017 [Subject: Irish Studies, 17th & 18th History, Printing, Material Culture, Ireland & England]