Reading the Scottish Enlightenment : books and their readers in provincial Scotland, 1750-1820 / by Mark R.M. Towsey.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Towsey, Mark R. M.

Series:

Library of the written word ; 10.

Library of the written word. Handpress world ; 5.

Library of the written word ; v. 10

The handpress world ; v. 5

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Books and reading--Scotland--History--18th century.

Books and reading.

Books and reading--Scotland--History--19th century.

Enlightenment--Scotland.

Enlightenment.

Reading interests--Scotland--History--18th century.

Reading interests.

Reading interests--Scotland--History--19th century.

Libraries--Scotland--History--18th century.

Libraries.

Libraries--Scotland--History--19th century.

Philosophy, Scottish.

Scotland--Intellectual life--18th century.

Scotland.

Scotland--Intellectual life--19th century.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (380 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, The Netherlands ; Boston : Brill, 2010.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

It has become commonplace in recent decades for scholars to identify in the books of the Scottish Enlightenment the intellectual origins of the modern world, but little attention has yet been paid to its impact on contemporary readers. Drawing on a range of innovatory methodologies associated with the burgeoning interdisciplinary field of the history of reading, this book explores the reception of books by David Hume, Adam Smith, William Robertson and Thomas Reid (amongst many others), assessing their impact on the lives, beliefs and habits of mind of readers across the social scale. In the process, the book offers a fascinating new perspective on the fundamental importance of personal reading experiences to the social history of the Enlightenment.

Contents:

Preliminary Material / M. Towsey

Introduction. \' Enlightenment Everywhere\': Locating The Reader In The Scottish Enlightenment / M. Towsey

I. \' One Of The Greatest Ornaments To A Gentleman\': Private Libraries / M. Towsey

II. \' A Powerful Means Of Improving The Neighbourhood\': Subscription Libraries / M. Towsey

III. \' Vice And Obscenity Dreadfully Propagated\': Circulating Libraries / M. Towsey

IV. \' A Taste For Reading In The Country\': Religious And Endowed Libraries / M. Towsey

V. \' This Map Of My Mind\': Recovering Historical Reading Experiences / M. Towsey

VI. \' A Man Of Moderate Passions\': Fashioning An Enlightened Self / M. Towsey

VII. \' That Independency Which A Whole Nation Had Renounced\': Negotiating Scottish Identity / M. Towsey

VIII. \' The Patron Of Infidelity\': Reading Hume And The Common Sense Philosophers / M. Towsey

Conclusion. \' Improved And Enlightened By Reading\': A Provincial Enlightenment? / M. Towsey

Bibliography / M. Towsey

Index / M. Towsey.

Notes:

Based on author's thesis, Ph.D., St. Andrews University, 2007.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [307]-360) and index.

ISBN:

1-283-03921-4

9786613039217

90-04-19351-0

90-04-18432-5

OCLC:

707926483

Publisher Number:

10.1163/ej.9789004184329.i-364 DOI