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The News Revolution in England: Cultural Dynamics of Daily Information
Author(s): C. John Sommerville (Author)
- Publisher: Oxford University Press
- Publication Date: 5 Sept. 1996
- Language: English
- Print length: 208 pages
- ISBN-10: 0195106679
- ISBN-13: 9780195106671
Book Description
With the birth of the commercial periodical in late seventeenth century England, news became a commodity. What constituted news, how it was presented and received, and how people responded to it underwent a fundamental change. Rather than any democratic print revolution, in which the masses suddenly had access to cheap and accessible information, C. John Sommerville shows that the arrival of the commercial press was in fact restrictive, dictating what was discussed and ultimately how it was discussed.
The News Revolution in England looks at the history of journalism from an entirely different angle--the effect of the medium rather than the intentions of the journalists. It will be of interest to historians of England, journalism, and news, along with anyone interested in how the media shapes our world and how we come to relate to it.
Editorial Reviews
Review
The research and close attention to detail which distinguishes this study of the evolution of the early English media is impressive ... is a solid achievement and is a welcome addition to the history of the British press. ―
George Evans, Contemporary Review vol.271 no.1580Sommerville has cast his net widely in deep and notoriously murky waters ―
Frances Henderson, Worcester College, Oxford, EHR June 1999[referring both to Sommerville and to Raymond/ The Invention of the Newspaper, Clarendon Press] Although fundamental issues about readership, production methods and early attitudes to 'the news' may, because the necessary evidence does not survive in sufficient quantities, never be satisfactorily answered, studies such as these can nevertheless be helpful in pointing towards a fuller understanding of such problems. ―
Frances Henderson, Worcester College, Oxford, EHR June 1999
