Secret Lives of Readers
Books reveal themselves. Whether they exist as print or pixels, they can be read and examined and made to spill their secrets. Readers are far more elusive. They leave traces—a note in the margin, a stain on the binding—but those hints of human handling tell us only so much. The experience of reading vanishes with the reader. How do we recover the reading experiences of the past? Lately scholars have stepped up the hunt for evidence of how people over time have interacted with books, newspapers, and other printed material.
1 comment:
This is really interesting. Have a look at RED, the new database they mention... http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/search.php
"RED is a collection of databases currently under development whose aim is to accumulate as much evidence as possible about reading experiences across the world. When all the project databases are completed, the search and browse facilities will enable you to chart the reading tastes of individual readers as they travel to other countries, and consider how different environments may have influence their reading habits. You will be able to track the readership of books issued in new editions for new audiences in different countries..."
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