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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 12704


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'At Maidstone, both on this occasion and subsequently when I served several months in separate confinement as a convict preparatory to going to Parkhurst, I was able, through the chaplain's kindness, to study not only Greek philosophy, but also Locke, Hume, Berkeley, Kant, Hegel, Fichte, Schelling, Schopenhauer, Fechner, Lotze, etc. Being a very rapid reader and having some ability in getting at the gist of a book I got through a fair amount of really interesting reading. ... In the summer I grabbed a book as soon as it was light enough to read, say, four o'clock, read till and during breakfast, dinner, supper and continued till 9:30 or 10 o'clock at night, an average of 8 to 10 hours a day. There were times, of course, when the burden of prison life bred a spirit of discontent and restlessness which books could not assuage.'

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1914 and 31 Dec 1915

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Maidstone
specific address: Maidstone Gaol
other location: in his prison cell

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:

Stuart Wood [pseud?]

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

27 Feb 1885

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

son of master craftsman, habitual criminal

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:

[unknown]

Title:

[Greek Philosophy]

Genre:

Classics, Philosophy

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

borrowed (institution library)
prison library


Source Information:

Record ID:

12704

Source:

Print

Author:

Stuart Wood

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Shades of the prison house: A personal memoir

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1932

Vol:

n/a

Page:

257

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Stuart Wood, Shades of the prison house: A personal memoir, (London, 1932), p. 257, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=12704, accessed: 04 November 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
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