Switch to English Switch to French

The Open University  |   Study at the OU  |   About the OU  |   Research at the OU  |   Search the OU

Listen to this page  |   Accessibility

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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 1271


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

Henry Mayhew interviews a regular scavager: "No, I can't say I was sorry when I was forced to be idle that way, that I hadn't kept up my reading, nor tried to keep it up, because I couldn't then have settled down my mind to read; I know I couldn't. I likes to hear the paper read well enough, if I's resting; but old Bill, as often volunteers to read, has to spell the hard words, so that one can't tell what the devil he's reading about."

Century:

1800-1849, 1850-1899

Date:

Between 1 Jan 1840 and 31 Dec 1859

Country:

England

Time

n/a

Place:

city: London
other location: probably at the public house

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

passive in company unknown
single serial unknown


Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Bill

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

n/a

Socio-Economic Group:

Labourer (non-agricultural)

Occupation:

n/a

Religion:

n/a

Country of Origin:

n/a

Country of Experience:

England

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

the regular scavager (concerned with London's rubbish collection) and probably others


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

n/a

Title:

[newspaper]

Genre:

Ephemera, Reference / General works

Form of Text:

Print: Newspaper

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

reading group


Source Information:

Record ID:

1271

Source:

Print

Author:

Henry Mayhew

Editor:

n/a

Title:

London Labour and the London Poor

Place of Publication:

London

Date of Publication:

1861

Vol:

2

Page:

225

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Henry Mayhew, London Labour and the London Poor, (London, 1861), 2, p. 225, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=1271, accessed: 28 March 2024


Additional Comments:

None

   
   
Green Turtle Web Design