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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 7619


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Thus I became their [workmates] news-purveyor, ie. I every morning gave them an account of what I had just been reading in the yesterday's newspaper. I read this at a coffee shop, where I took an early breakfast on my way to work. These shops were but just then becoming general... The shop I selected was near the bottom of Oxford Street. It was in the direct path by which I made my way to work... The papers I generally preferred to read were the "British Press", the "Morning Chronicle", and the "Statesman". I usually contrived to run over the Parliamentary debates and the foreign news, together with the leading articles. ...My shopmates were much pleased at the extent and variety of the intelligence which I was able to give them about public affairs, and they were the more pleased because I often told them about the contents of Mr. Cobbett's "Political Register", as they were warm admirers of that clever and very intelligible writer.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1815 and 31 Dec 1815

Country:

England

Time

morning: At breakfast

Place:

city: London
specific address: Oxford Street
other location: coffee shop

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 Carter

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

5 Jul 1792

Socio-Economic Group:

Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder

Occupation:

Journeyman tailor

Religion:

n/a

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:

British Press

Genre:

Politics, Reference / General works

Form of Text:

Print: Newspaper

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (other)
Newspaper of coffee shop


Source Information:

Record ID:

7619

Source:

Print

Author:

Thomas Carter

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Memoirs of a Working Man

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1845

Vol:

n/a

Page:

186

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas Carter, Memoirs of a Working Man, (London, 1845), p. 186, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=7619, accessed: 21 December 2024


Additional Comments:

Carter afterwards told workmates of contents of newspaper - but did not read it to them.

   
   
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