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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 12088


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'I was repelled at home, rather than encouraged to read, and I never remember to have seen a book in my elders' hands. Literature was limited to the "Daily Telegraph". To read in secret I escaped to the washhouse, and I well remember during my early apprentice days at Spitalfields, my grandfather, catching a sight of me reading there a copy of Dicks's shilling edition of Shakespeare - the whole, a marvellous feat of cheap publishing -sternly reproachful, exclaimed: "Ah, Tom, that'll never bring you bread and cheese!"'

Century:

1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1852 and 31 Dec 1870

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London, Spitalfields
location in dwelling: at home, hiding in the wash house
other location: wash house

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 Okey

Age:

Child (0-17)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

1852

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

apprentice

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:

William Shakespeare

Title:

[works]

Genre:

Drama, Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

Dicks's shilling edition of the complete works

Provenance

unknown


Source Information:

Record ID:

12088

Source:

Print

Author:

Thomas Okey

Editor:

n/a

Title:

A basketful of memories: An autobiographical sketch

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1930

Vol:

n/a

Page:

18

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Thomas Okey, A basketful of memories: An autobiographical sketch, (London, 1930), p. 18, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=12088, accessed: 23 April 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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