Jonathan Rose's book has become a classic. It mainly covers the C19th and early C20th tending to avoid or mute the inane politics and tends to prop up the presu

Which books did the British working classes read--and how did they read them? How did they respond to canonical authors, penny dreadfuls, classical music, schoo

What was their level of cultural literacy: how much did they know about politics, science, history, philosophy, poetry, and sexuality? Who were the proletarian

An invitation to readers from every walk of life to rediscover the impractical splendors of a life of learning In an overloaded, superficial, technological worl