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the experience of reading in Britain, from 1450 to 1945...

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 6998


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

?When about fourteen years old a comrade lent me a few stray numbers of the "London Journal", a highly spiced periodical which I read with great gusto. It was full of adventures, of mild, romantic stories depicting duels and battles, deeds of daring, hairbreadth escapes by land and sea, the heroes being banditti, pirates, robbers and outlaws. This stirred my blood and excited the youthful imagination. When my father caught me reading it he gently chided me for wasting my time on such rubbishy stuff. Wretched garbage no doubt it was, yet, after all, perhaps the time given to it was not wholly wasted. No useful information, indeed, was gained, but I was acquiring facility in reading and laying hold of the golden key which would open to me the rich treasures of a great literature.?

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1850 and 31 Dec 1852

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Durham
county: Durham

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Thomas Burt

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

12 Nov 1837

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

pitman, later MP

Religion:

Methodist

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

[n/a]

Title:

London Journal

Genre:

Fiction, Ephemera

Form of Text:

Print: Serial / periodical

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (private library)
from a friend


Source Information:

Record ID:

6998

Source:

Print

Author:

Thomas Burt

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Thomas Burt, M. P., D. C. L., pitman & privy councillor : an autobiography

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1904

Vol:

n/a

Page:

115

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas Burt, Thomas Burt, M. P., D. C. L., pitman & privy councillor : an autobiography, (London, 1904), p. 115, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=6998, accessed: 21 December 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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