A great book about an even greater book is a rare event in publishing. Darnton's history of the "Encyclopedie" is such an occasion. The author explores some fascinating territory in the French genre of "histoire du livre," and at the same time he tracks the diffusion of Enlightenment ideas. He is concerned with the form of the thought of the great philosophes as it materialized into books and with the way books were made and distributed in the business of publishing. This is cultural history on a broad scale, a history of ...
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A great book about an even greater book is a rare event in publishing. Darnton's history of the "Encyclopedie" is such an occasion. The author explores some fascinating territory in the French genre of "histoire du livre," and at the same time he tracks the diffusion of Enlightenment ideas. He is concerned with the form of the thought of the great philosophes as it materialized into books and with the way books were made and distributed in the business of publishing. This is cultural history on a broad scale, a history of the process of civilization. In tracing the publishing story of Diderot's "Encyclopedie," Darnton uses new sources--the papers of eighteenth-century publishers--that allow him to respond firmly to a set of problems long vexing historians. He shows how the material basis of literature and the technology of its production affected the substance and diffusion of ideas. He fully explores the workings of the literary market place, including the roles of publishers, book dealers, traveling salesmen, and other intermediaries in cultural communication. How publishing functioned as a business, and how it fit into the political as well as the economic systems of prerevolutionary Europe are set forth. The making of books touched on this vast range of activities because books were products of artisanal labor, objects of economic exchange, vehicles of ideas, and elements in political and religious conflict. The ways ideas traveled in early modern Europe, the level of penetration of Enlightenment ideas in the society of the Old Regime, and the connections between the Enlightenment and the French Revolution are brilliantly treated by Darnton. In doing so he unearths a double paradox. It was the upper orders in society rather than the industrial bourgeoisie or the lower classes that first shook off archaic beliefs and took up Enlightenment ideas. And the state, which initially had suppressed those ideas, ultimately came to favor them. Yet at this high point in the diffusion and legitimation of the Enlightenment, the French Revolution erupted, destroying the social and political order in which the Enlightenment had flourished. Never again will the contours of the Enlightenment be drawn without reference to this work. Darnton has written an indispensable book for historians of modern Europe.
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Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $17.98, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $17.98, fair condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Baltimore rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Halethorpe, MD, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
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Very good. Binding is unblemished, text block is clean, boards straight, without highlights or markings. Mild rubbing/chipping to dust wrapper edges. Well packaged and promptly shipped from California. Partnered with Friends of the Library since 2010.
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $29.95, very good condition, Sold by loudavis rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Great Barrington, MA, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
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Very good in very good dust jacket. No markings. Binding tight. Jacket has minor fading on the spine. Nice copy. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. With dust jacket. Audience: General/trade.
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $35.00, good condition, Sold by ThriftBooks-Reno rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Reno, NV, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Harvard University Press.
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Good. Shelf and handling wear to cover and binding, with general signs of previous use. Boards betray fading and nicks and other signs of wear and imperfection commensurate with age. Binding is tight and structurally sound. Bookplate from Murray Gell-Mann, the 1969 Nobel laureate in Physics, on front pastedown; interior pages absent any extraneous marks. New mylar added to ensure future enjoyment. Secure packaging for safe delivery.
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $36.36, good condition, Sold by Phatpocket Limited rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waltham Abbey, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
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Good. Ships from UK in 48 hours or less (usually same day). Your purchase helps support Sri Lankan Children's Charity 'The Rainbow Centre'. Ex-library, so some wear and internal barcode may have been clipped, but in good overall condition. 100% money back guarantee. We are a world class secondhand bookstore based in Hertfordshire, United Kingdom and specialize in high quality textbooks across an enormous variety of subjects. We aim to provide a vast range of textbooks, rare and collectible books at a great price. Our donations to The Rainbow Centre have helped provide an education and a safe haven to hundreds of children who live in appalling conditions. We provide a 100% money back guarantee and are dedicated to providing our customers with the highest standards of service in the bookselling industry.
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $42.50, very good condition, Sold by Powell's Books Chicago rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Chicago, IL, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
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Very Good. 1979. Hardcover. Cloth, dj. In acetate cover. Some sunning to jacket spine. Else fine. A nice, clean copy. Very Good. (Subject: Books on Books).
Add this copy of The Business of Enlightenment: Publishing History of to cart. $45.00, good condition, Sold by Library Market rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Waynesville, OH, UNITED STATES, published 1979 by Belknap Press.
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