Among the most frequently reprinted books of the long eighteenth century, English, Scottish and American letter manuals spread norms of polite conduct and communication, which helped to connect and unify different regions of the British Atlantic world, even as they fostered and helped to create very different local and regional cultures and values. By teaching secret writing, they also enabled transatlantic correspondents to communicate what they needed despite interception, censorship and the practice of reading private letters in company. Eve Tavor Bannet uncovers what people knew then about letters that we have forgotten, and revolutionises our understanding of eighteenth-century letters, novels, periodicals, and other kinds of writing in manuscript and print which used the letter form. This lively, interdisciplinary book will change the way we read and interpret eighteenth-century letters and think about the book in the Atlantic world.

This lively, interdisciplinary book will change the way we read and interpret eighteenth-century letters.

About the Author
Eve Tavor Bannet is Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma.

Reviews
Review of the hardback: 'Not the least merit of Eve Tavor Bannet's groundbreaking book, Empire of Letters, is its critique of the Habermasian division of public and private spheres as it is often understood.' The Times Literary Supplement



Book Information
ISBN 9780521123525
Author Eve Tavor Bannet
Format Paperback
Page Count 372
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 550g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 21mm