Table of Contents

1. Introduction Giles Mandelbrote and Keith Manley; Part I. The Expansion of Book Collections 1640–1750: 2. Ancients and moderns: cross-currents in early modern intellectual life Joseph M. Levine; 3. Libraries, books and learning, from Bacon to the Enlightenment Paul A. Nelles; 4. Opportunities for building collections and libraries R. Julian Roberts; 5. Libraries for school education and personal devotion Ian Green; 6. Libraries for the parish: individual donors and charitable societies W. M. Jacob; 7. Endowed libraries for towns Michael Powell; 8. Libraries in university towns Charles Benson; 9. Ecclesiastical libraries: libraries for the higher clergy Sheila Hingley; 10. Antiquaries' and heralds' libraries Nigel Ramsay; 11. Professional collections: libraries for scientists and doctors Scott Mandelbrote; 12. Personal owners of books Giles Mandelbrote; 13. Library buildings and fittings John Newman; 14. Baroque librarianship P. S. Morrish; Part II. Library Developments at a Local Level: 15. Libraries for sociability: the rise of the subscription library James Raven; Two case studies of local library provision: 16. Norwich David Stoker; 17. Belfast Wesley McCann; Part III. Provincial and Metropolitan Libraries 1750–1850: 18. Libraries in context: social, cultural and intellectual background Joanna Innes; 19. The book trade and libraries John Feather; 20. Ecclesiastical libraries Joan Williams; 21. Libraries in the parish Graham Best; 22. Books and universities Peter Freshwater; 23. Libraries and literacy in popular education Brian Burch; 24. Scientific and medical libraries: the rise of the institution John Symonds; 25. The first century of the British Museum library P. R. Harris; 26. The impact of the British Museum library Marvin Spevack; 27. Private libraries in the age of `bibliomania' Arnold Hunt; 28. Library architecture and interiors M. H. Port; 29. Library management in the pre-professional age P. S. Morrish; 30. Libraries for an imperial power Wallace Kirsop; 31. Engines of literature: libraries in an age of expansion and transition K. A. Manley; Select bibliography.

Promotional Information

Describes the development of libraries in Great Britain and Ireland over some 1500 years and their role in history.

Reviews

'… a substantial and well-produced volume …' Library and Information History