Exeter
Working Papers in Book History ; no. 12.
Published 2021
The story of the book in Exeter and Devon
by Ian Maxted
247 pages : 36
illustrations ; 30 cm. ISBN 987-0-9507306-4-6. Recommended retail price £15.00.
E-mail the author on ianmaxted@hotmail.co.uk to place an order.
The author talks about himself and his book
Any profits on Exeter
Working Papers in Book History publications support the work of local studies and heritage libraries in Exeter.
For the first time, the history
of the book, and published literature of all kinds in Exeter
and Devon, is traced from the dawn of literacy to the present day, in a
publication linked to Exeter's designation by UNESCO as a City of Literature, the only city in
Britain
to receive this accolade in 2019.
Exeter has been a literate city for two millennia,
and over that period the written word has reached us in a variety of ways, from
illuminated manuscripts, through printed texts to digital media. The book
traces the various forms in which we have received the written word, from
Celtic coiners, through Roman graffiti writers, scribes in monastic scriptoria,
printers working their heavy manual presses, to the mass media and web
designers. It charts the development of booksellers, publishers, libraries and
archives and how they relate to the authors that create the texts and the
community of readers. It traces the complex networks that have evolved to
facilitate the transmission of texts, from scholars corresponding at a distance
in medieval times and the Renaissance, to post boys distributing newspapers on
horseback in the eighteenth century, and the World Wide Web at the end of the
second millennium. It shows how there is a continuity over time; printing did
not put an end to manuscripts and the internet has not killed the printed book.
Above all it traces the progressive democratisation of the written word from a
time when literacy was the preserve of a small educated elite, to an era when
everyone can hold the knowledge of the world in the palm of their hand.
The illustration on the front
cover and title page is of the book fool from Alexander Barclay's verse translation
of Sebastian Brant's Ship of fools,
the earliest printed book by a Devonian writer, first published in 1509. The
book fool is the inspiration for the author of this book, an old bibliofool who
has spent more than half a century exploring the history of the book, first in
Europe, then in London and the English
provinces, finally settling in Devon, Normandy and Weimar.
For almost thirty years, from 1977 to 2015 he was Devon's local studies
librarian, based in the Westcountry Studies Library in Exeter. He has published books and articles
on a wide range of book and paper history topics and has lectured in Britain, France,
Germany, Hungary and Romania. Apart from the Exeter working papers in book history website,
he also maintains the Devon bibliography,
Etched on Devon's
memory, Maya miscellany and Manhole miscellany websites. He is
trustee of the Kent Kingdon Bequest and the Friends of Devon's Archives grant
making charities and works on the blue plaques team of Exeter Civic Society.
Contents
1. Front matter
11. Introduction.
2. Some early riddles (1300 BCE-1500)
21. Early evidence of literacy.
22. Saxon Devon.
23. Exeter Cathedral Library.
24. Libraries on the eve of the Reformation.
25. Medieval Devon scholars.
26. Education and literacy in medieval Devon.
3. The arrival of printing (1500-1700)
31. The earliest printing in Devon.
32. The book trade in the early period of printing.
33. The Reformation in Devon.
34. The establishment of the Exeter book trade.
35. Books and readers in the 17th century.
36. Printing in 17th century Exeter.
37. Disruption and recovery.
38. The structure of the 17th century Exeter book trade.
4. The provincial press (1700-1790)
41. The provincial press and the origins of the newspaper.
42. A good face of learning.
43. Controversies in print.
44. Jobbing work and advertisements.
45. The market for books in the 18th century.
46. Libraries and readers.
47. The spread of printing.
48. Popular literature in the eighteenth century.
49. Spreading the word: postboys, hawkers, billposters.
5. Revolution and evolution (1790-1850)
51. The French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars.
52. Tourism and topographical views.
53. Some Exeter businesses of the early 19th century.
54. The newspaper in the age of reform.
55. The move to self-improvement.
56. Couchers and layers: the Exeter paper industry.
57. Some scholars in the book trades.
58. Libraries in the early 19th century.
6. The growth of mechanisation (1850-1940)
61. The printer's repertoire.
62. The spread of the newspaper.
63. The development of scholarly publishing.
64. Booksellers in a time of change.
65. The public library.
7. Past into present (1940-2000)
71. Survivors and failures.
72. Booksellers since World War 2.
73. Antiquarian booksellers in post-war Exeter.
74. Libraries since World War 2.
75. Publishers and grey literature.
76. The newspaper since 1945.
77. The alternative press in Devon.
78. The death of the book?
8. Into the third millennium (2001-2021)
81. Austerity, covid-19, UNESCO.
9. Back matter
91. Chronological list of illustrations.
92. Bibliography and references.
93. Index.
94. List of Exeter Working Papers in Book History.
