Edinburgh History of the British and Irish Press, 1800-1900

David Finkelstein, editor

This volume, due out in late 2018 from Edinburgh University Press, will cover an important period of expansion and development in periodical and press history across the four nations of Great Britain (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales), concentrating on how the development of nineteenth-century print communication can be assessed via cross-border comparisons and contrasts. Key topics and large survey chapters will be interspersed with case studies specific to the themes covered, allowing synchronic and diachronic coverage via macro and micro studies.

Introduction (10,000 words)

The introductory section will set 19th century press and periodical activity within broad contexts, provide an account of the social, economic and political changes affecting the history of the newspapers and periodical press within this period, as well as noting the manner in which past surveys and studies of press and media history have influenced our understanding of this period.

Core chapters (up to 10,000 words each)

These will focus on key areas of press and periodical development, covering social, technological, political and cultural themes. These will include sections on:

Economics of press and periodical production

Themes to be covered: Political economy: constraints and opportunities; Ownership; Local, Regional, National variations in press and periodical genres and structures, including intersections between news, politics, leisure and literary material; Advertising and revenue; Labour structures (From trade guilds to union formation); Employment relations, labour strikes, working conditions; Gendered roles and women in the workplace

Production, Form and Image

Themes to be covered: Technological developments; Typesetting and Typography; Design and Illustration

Readership and distribution

Reading reception; Circulation structures; Infrastructural development; Transport and circulation networks

Cultural Agents and Contexts

Themes to be covered: Professionalisation of journalism; Changing definitions of press/journalism exponents; Women in press and periodical spaces; Owners, Editors and Journalists/Contributors; Professional agencies;

Legal frameworks

Themes to be covered: legal constraints on the press over the course of the 19th century, effect of legislation on inhibiting and expanding press activity; restrictions on court reporting, debates on libel and entrapment, changing attitudes towards copyright. The effect of censorship, obscenity, libel and legal interpretations on press and periodical content.

These contributions will offer close-grained analyses of press and periodical categories and genres, as well as case studies on significant multi-disciplinary themes and press and periodical related topics. Among the topics suggested for inclusion include but are not limited to:

Transnational Exchanges

Long before globalisation became synonymous with 20th century communication exchange, the 19th century witnessed transnational exchanges of personnel, ideas, technology and knowledge across Anglophone, European and international borders. This section will concentrate on the transference of relevant influences across the time period of this volume. Attention will also be paid to the fostering of English language press diaspora communities in international contexts.  Areas to be considered include: Empire and colonial press developments; Anglo-American exchanges; English language press activity in European contexts; Irish diaspora press; ship-based news publications; International Punch; International news circulation case studies.

Literary and review journalism

This section would cover the development of the literary review as journalistic form in both newspaper and magazine format. Attention will be paid to intersections between contributors and editors, the role of anonymity and editorial shaping of content, and the place of such works in defining journalistic practice and professionalization.

Welsh Language Press

This section would consider the role of the Welsh language press in secular and denominational settings across the nineteenth century. It would consider the political situation of the Welsh language press and its interrelationship with neighbouring English publications including those which published Welsh items.

Scots Gaelic Press

This section will consider the ways in which a Scots Gaelic press have been used as a vehicle for a distinctive Gaelic identity in Scotland emerging in the nineteenth century, as well as the role of the transnational Scottish diasporic press in extending and shaping such identity formations.

Irish Language Press

This section will explore the rise of the Irish language press and its role in shaping nationalist discourse in the nineteenth century. It will examine the role that these publications played in establishing a distinct political identity and the various ways in which Irish items were incorporated into a wide range of publications.

Religious, Ethnic Minority and Foreign Language Press

This section would include nineteenth-century religious, ethnic and language minority publications from a range of communities, and their expansion in line with the influx across the British Isles of emigrants, exiles and religious communities from across Europe, Asia and the British dominions, among others.

Comics, Cartoons and the Illustrated Press

Comics, Cartoons and the illustrated press were fostered by developments in technology and an increased mass audience interest.  This section explores the incorporation of visual material into cultural, political and social press frameworks.

Scientific, Business, Medical, Legal and Trade Press

As costs of press production decreased and trades and professions became more organised, press publications and reportage in such areas increased. This section and associated case studies will explore the way in which such trends shaped discourse and reportage in key professional arenas.

Leisure, Sport and Hobby Press

The rise in literacy and an accompanying expansion in organisations dedicated to leisure, sports and hobby activities occasioned specialist publications catering to such interests. Newspapers and journals created space to report and consider such themes, accompanying a rise in specialist periodicals on such subjects. This section and associated case studies will survey the cultural contexts for the development of press interest in these areas. Subjects to be covered might include the development of sports reportage; the development of cycling, football, cricket and other sporting journals; specialist leisure publications; hobby and craft focused reporting and publication.

Children’s Press

As the century wore on, more attention was paid to material aimed at younger audiences. This section will cover Press activity dedicated to young readers. Subjects covered might include: periodical publications aimed at children, didactic, religious, social and mass entertainment publications and themes; the development of press and newspaper sections aimed at younger readers;

Provincial, Local and Regional Press

This section will look at the rise of local, provincial and regional newspapers across the nineteenth century, their role in local identity formations and commonalities and differences between such publications across the four kingdoms.