The Business of Abridgments in 18th-Century Britain & America
In this highly illustrated lecture, Michael F. Suarez examined the surprising prevalence of abridgments in 18th-century Anglo-American publishing. Seeking to understand why the reprint trade is commonly the business of publishing abridgments, Suarez considered how intellectual property, economics, and provincial markets affect the activities of booksellers and the cultures of reading. Having examined 19th- and 20th-century collecting practices and the historiography of book history and bibliography, Suarez explained how the ubiquity of abridgments has largely escaped our notice until now. Speaker Biography: Michael F. Suarez S.J. is director of the Rare Book School, professor of English and honorary curator of special collections at the University of Virginia. For transcript and more information, visit www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=8295
