Composing the Scottish Enlightenment -- Identity and diversity among Scottish authors -- The rewards of authorship -- Forging the London-Edinburgh publishing axis -- The heyday of Scottish Enlightenment publishing -- The achievement of William Creech -- The rise and fall of Irish reprinting -- Making Scottish books in America, 1770-1784 -- A more extensive diffusion of useful knowledge : Philadelphia, 1784-1800
Summary
The late eighteenth century witnessed an explosion of intellectual activity in Scotland by such luminaries as David Hume, Adam Smith, Hugh Blair, William Robertson, Adam Ferguson, James Boswell, and Robert Burns. And the books written by these seminal thinkers made a significant mark during their time in almost every field of polite literature and higher learning throughout Britain, Europe, and the Americas. In this magisterial history, Richard B. Sher breaks new ground for our understanding of the Enlightenment and the forgotten role of publishing during that period. The Enlightenment and the
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 709-755) and index