Introduction

As there is no easy road to popular culture and mentality, one must take the byways: speeches of welcome, for example, books in the estates left by the poor, broadsheets, biographies and the odd diary. Or, basically, through eyewitness accounts, mementoes and various literary artefacts.

Actions occupied the centre of the preceding diptych. Things will be less eventful here, for I now want to get at the structure of a gradual unfolding of events. First of all, I will try to clarify certain aspects of the change in people's relationship to the printed word, above all during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. That places the printed word at the centre of interest both as material and ideal evidence of popular culture and mentality. A natural point of departure is to assume a link between reading and thought. But unread books can also say something about the intentions of the owner,just as the very act of reading bears on how the material is received. A variety of measures are required, for if knowledge of all this is to be acquired, each in itself is insufficient to reach the objective. Together they can capture some of what I am seeking. Much work has already been done by others; what I can contribute will become evident later. I will not consider the periodical press, clearly a limitation, as more people were presumably reached by the ephemeral media than by more enduring publications.

First, the development of literacy will be touched upon briefly, followed by overviews of book production, trade with books and book ownership by artisans and tradesmen, in that order. Having covered all this ground, I will gradually make my way to the logical conclusion: the content of and very act of reading the publications. But I will pause before that, as it is only through individuals that the act of reading can be followed – individuals such as Johan Hjerpe – the subject of Chapter 6.

A few words on literacy

The Judaeo-Christian sphere of civilisation is very much a culture of letters. Written works (published and unpublished) were of great importance to common folk long before the general spread of literacy, even though an unlettered culture always existed alongside it.