British Literary Culture and Publishing Practice, 1880–1914

This book examines the radical transformation of British literary culture during the period 1880–1914 as seen through the early publishing careers of three highly influential writers, Joseph Conrad, Arnold Bennett and Arthur Conan Doyle. Peter D. McDonald examines the cultural politics of the period by considering the social structure of the literary world in which these writers were read and understood. Through a wealth of historical detail, he links the publishing history of key texts with the wider commercial, ideological, and literary themes in the period as a whole. By tracing the complex network of relationships among writers, publishers, printers, distributors, reviewers, and readers, McDonald demonstrates that the discursive qualities of these texts cannot be fully appreciated without understanding the material conditions of their production. In so doing, he makes social history a central part of literary studies, and shows the importance of the history of publishing in questions of critical interpretation.

• Looks at the early publishing career of three highly influential novelists • Enormous amount of new historical material unearthed • Links developments in the social history and publishing practice of a key period to questions of critical interpretation

Introduction; 1. Men of letters and children of the sea: Joseph Conrad and the Henley circle; 2. Playing the field: Arnold Bennett as novelist, serialist and journalist; 3. Light reading and the dignity of letters: George Newnes, Ltd. and the making of Arthur Conan Doyle; Postscript.

‘No-one interested in the social and literary history of the period could fail to learn more about its complexities from [this] book.’ Library Association Record