Bücher besitzen – Bücher lesen / Possedere libri – leggere libri (1750–1850)

Abstract

Owning Books – Reading Books (1750–1850)

The history of reading forms the thematic focal point of this issue, with the geographical spotlight falling on predominantly Catholic areas of the Alps and neighbouring regions to the south in the period from 1750 to 1850. As regards methods and content, the individual contributions take into account the whole complex of themes dealt with by the history of books and reading. Which circumstances – such as the spread of reading ability and access to reading materials - make reading at all possible? What significance was attached to reading? And, not least, there is the issue of knowledge acquirement: how did the process of reading actually take place? Thus, the articles collected here approach the history of books and their readers from different perspectives and, in doing so, they offer impulses for further research.

ABSTRACTS articles (en) 29 (2020), 1