Circulating libraries: Difference between revisions
Zuricorrigan (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
Zuricorrigan (talk | contribs) No edit summary |
||
| (11 intermediate revisions by 2 users not shown) | |||
| Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
== Definition == | == Definition == | ||
"A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee." | "A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee." | ||
[[File:Circulating Example.jpg|thumb|Donald McDonald, stationer, and his Circulating Library, Gulgong, 1870. ]] | |||
== Overview == | == Overview == | ||
| Line 14: | Line 15: | ||
== References == | == References == | ||
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulating_library | # <nowiki>https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulating_library</nowiki> | ||
https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195169218.001.0001/acref-9780195169218-e-0102 | # <nowiki>https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195169218.001.0001/acref-9780195169218-e-0102</nowiki> | ||
https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2015/12/03/the-circulating-library/ | # <nowiki>https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2015/12/03/the-circulating-library/</nowiki> | ||
[[ | [[Category:Glossary]] | ||
[[Category:Libraries]] | |||
[[Category:History]] | |||
[[Category:Evolution of Publishing]] | |||
Latest revision as of 11:21, 24 November 2025
Definition
"A circulating library (also known as lending libraries and rental libraries) lent books to subscribers, and was first and foremost a business venture. The intention was to profit from lending books to the public for a fee."
Overview
Circulating libraries rented out bestselling books in large numbers, which allowed for publishers to increase their earnings and authors to increase their readership. These two businesses had such positive relationships that publishers offered discounts to the libraries. This caused them to become dependant on each other in the 19th century for mutual profit.
Although this partnership had been a positive thing at first, it caused some issues as well. When bestselling fiction titles lost their popularity quickly, many circulating libraries were left with a large amount of inventory that could not be sold or rented out. This was one of the leading reasons as to why the libraries were eventually forced to closer their doors.
Publishing
Some circulating libraries were publishers, although, most of them did not have "widespread distribution" for the works they printed and published. There had been an increased amount of published fiction by the end of the 18th century. Circulating libraries prefered to publish work specifically by women, whereas other publishers still favored and only published work written by men.
At this time, it was common for some individuals to publish their work anonymously. These circulating library publishers were known for publishing large amounts of anonymous works, most had been believed to be written by women. Publishers at this time were not viewed favorably as other publishers since they printed works that were considered "unsavory" by society.
References
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circulating_library
- https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780195169218.001.0001/acref-9780195169218-e-0102
- https://georgianera.wordpress.com/2015/12/03/the-circulating-library/
