Books for Idle Hours: Nineteenth-Century Publishing and the Rise of Summer Reading

by Donna Harrington-Lueker

The publishing phenomenon of summer reading, often focused on novels set in vacation destinations, started in the nineteenth century, as both print culture and tourist culture expanded in the United States. As an emerging middle class increasingly embraced summer leisure as a marker of social status, book publishers sought new market opportunities, authors discovered a growing readership, and more readers indulged in lighter fare.

Drawing on...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1625343833
• ISBN13: 9781625343833
• Release Date: December 2018
• Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.9" x 8.9"