Quote:
Originally Posted by HarryT
Yes, thanks, I was aware of that  . I used the term "public library" to mean a library that was free to use, as opposed to a subscription library which (obviously) one had to pay for. One might very reasonably say that it was the mass opening of public libraries after the 1850 Public Libraries Act which brought reading to the masses, since books were, at the time, extremely expensive. It was also, of course, the primary reason for the traditional 3 volume format of the Victorian novel - libraries were the biggest buyer of them, and the 3 volume format meant that 3 readers could be reading the same book simultaneously. |
Okay, but I was talking about libraries. And prior to the 1850s, there were libraries in existence that ordinary people could (and did) access. From memory, some of these were run/operated by working mens organisations of some kind. I'm really operating from quite an old memory here, but I think one of the reasons given for public libraries is that it would provide a control on the kinds of books that working people read/accessed (the idea being it would be less dangerous than the kinds of subversive material, or low-brow material, that was otherwise available). There were a couple of others that were run as charities, for which I don't think subscriptions were required. I could be wrong on that though.
In the US there non-subscription libraries available prior to the 1850s.