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

Reading Experience Database UK Historical image of readers
 
 
 
 

Record Number: 4420


Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'After an arduous str[uggle] with sundry historians of grea[t and] small renown I sit down to answer the much-valued epistle of my friend. Doubtless you are disposed to grumble that I have been so long in doing so; but I have an argument in store for you.'

Century:

1800-1849

Date:

Between 7 Dec 1817 and 15 Feb 1818

Country:

Scotland

Time

n/a

Place:

city: Kirkcaldy (probably)

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 Carlyle

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

4 Dec 1795

Socio-Economic Group:

Professional / academic / merchant / farmer

Occupation:

Writer / Academic

Religion:

Lapsed Calvinist

Country of Origin:

Scotland

Country of Experience:

Scotland

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

None given


Additional Comments:

n/a



Text Being Read:

Author:

various

Title:

[histories]

Genre:

History, Letter

Form of Text:

Print: BookManuscript: Letter

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned


Source Information:

Record ID:

4420

Source:

Print

Author:

Thomas Carlyle

Editor:

C R Sanders

Title:

The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle

Place of Publication:

Durham, South Carolina

Date of Publication:

1970

Vol:

1

Page:

118

Additional Comments:

Letter from Robert Mitchell to Thomas Carlyle dated 6th December 1817.

Citation:

Thomas Carlyle, C R Sanders (ed.), The Collected Letters of Thomas and Jane Welsh Carlyle, (Durham, South Carolina, 1970), 1, p. 118, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=4420, accessed: 25 April 2024


Additional Comments:

Editor's note states that he presumes that the letter that Carlyle refers to is that of the 6th December 1817 - but it is clearly not definitively so. Dates of reading experience given above are estimate based on date that the letter ro Carlyle was written and the date of Carlyle's reply.

   
   
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