Presentations and discussion.

Refreshments provided.

All are welcome.

This paper is about how and why people in the early modern period talked about books they hadn’t read. It argues for seeing the early modern ‘public sphere’ or ‘republic of letters’ as governed by overlapping regimes of scarcity, and for understanding reading not only as a service but as a form of labour. The centre of gravity of the evidence discussed derives from the trans-European dispute about the Church of England usually described as the ‘Oath of Allegiance Controversy’ (1606-1615), but some reference will be made to materials further afield. The work is in progress, and suggestions are very welcome.