This is a landmark intellectual history of Britain's working classes from the preindustrial era to the twentieth century. Drawing on workers' memoirs, social surveys, library registers, and more, Jonathan Rose uncovers which books people read, how they educated themselves, and what they knew. A new preface addresses the continuing relevance of the book amidst the upheavals of the present day.

"An astonishing book."-Ian Sansom, The Guardian

"A passionate work of history. . . . Rose has written a work of staggering ambition."-Daniel Akst, Wall Street Journal

Winner of the SHARP Book History Prize, the American Philosophical Society's Jacques Barzun Prize, and the British Council Prize cowinner of the Longman-History Today Book of the Year Prize for 2001; named one of the finest books of 2001 by The Economist.

About the Author
Jonathan Rose was the founding president of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing and a founding coeditor of the journal Book History. He is professor of history at Drew University.

Reviews
"Wherever possible, this brilliant piece of social history allows individuals from within the masses to speak out for themselves." - Julia Jones, This Week
"Jonathan Rose's magnificent, unforgettable The Intellectual Life of the British Working Classes entranced me - the most moving book of the year." - Philip Hensher, The Spectator
Co-winner the Longman-History Today 'Book of the Year' Prize for 2001
Winner of the 2002 Society for the History of Authorship, Reading and Publishing, Book History Prize
Winner of the American Philosophical Society's Jacques Barzun Prize in Cultural History for 2001

Winner of the 2002 Humanities Book Award sponsored by the New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Longlisted for the 2001 Samuel Johnson Prize




Book Information
ISBN 9780300257847
Author Jonathan Rose
Format Paperback
Page Count 560
Imprint Yale University Press
Publisher Yale University Press
Weight(grams) 476g