The Book Trade in Early Modern England

Book excerpt: In the late 15th century, the book trade in England was modest in scale and ambition, hamstrung by legislation, centred in London and heavily dependent on its European connections. During the 17th century a nationwide market for books emerged and in 1695 the Licensing Act lapsed, allowing provincial printing to develop. By the early decades of the 18th century the trade was national in character, better organised and perceptibly 'modern' in its structure. These essays shed light on this transformation, revealing the practices and perceptions of authors, translators, producers and collectors, the shifting geographical networks that characterized the early modern book trade and, crucially, what these changes meant for readers.