Circulating Libraries in Regency England

by Regency Romance Author, Donna Hatch

Today, the word "library" generally creates in a person's mind an image of big building full of books that one can check out for free. Or sometimes, people will refer to their bookshelf (or shelves) as their personal library which, obviously, is not open to the public. But circulating libraries during the Regency were a bit different.

Possibly as early as the late 1600's, when books were still expensive enough that the even wealthy people could not afford to buy very many books, yet no longer the impossibly expensive, hand-illuminated volumes of ages past, the fairly well to do person embraced the idea of borrowing books for a nominal fee from a circulating library. During the mid 1700's, as a growing number of people bought subscriptions to circulating libraries, they became profitable enough that more libraries cropped up, gaining wide popularity among the wealthy and growing middle class alike. Prior to that, subscription libraries and social libraries did exist but they typically offered a limited number of books and periodicals to their select group of members. Circulating libraries offered a huge range of interests that appealed to the general literate public.

Patrons, both ladies and gentleman, paid subscriptions to have access to libraries both large and small and could borrow an unlimited number of books of every topic, many in other languages such as French and Italian, as well as periodicals. Subscriptions ranged from annual to monthly. Typically, a person could borrow up to two books at a time and had a limited number of days in which to read. One source suggested that for an additional fee, a person could borrow multiple books. Since many novels came in at least three parts, such a temptation would be hard to resist since I'm sure many readers share my dislike of waiting for the next part in a story to become available.

Besides being a place to borrow books, or simply sit and read in the reading room, circulating libraries became a fashionable place to see and be seen. They sprang up in resorts towns like Brighton where the locals and visitors mingled and relaxed.

In addition to offering a selection of books printed by publishers, circulating libraries also became their own publishers and were friendly to female authors. Minerva Press, so well known for printing Gothic novels, was one such publisher who gave voice to a number of women who penned novels. Such publishers changed to course of publishing and really opened the door to the social acceptability of female authors, as well as created a better variety of fictional novels.

As books became less expensive to print, partly due to the paperback cover and using cheaper materials making it more affordable to readers, and as public libraries were created which offered books for free, the circulating library fell out of popularity. But their influence shaped the future for readers, authors and publishers. And I, for one, am eternally grateful for them paving the way for me to realize my dream of becoming a published author.


Sources:
http://britishcirculatinglibraries.weebly.com/history.html
http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2011/05/05/circulating-libraries/
http://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/the-circulating-library-in-regency-times/
http://eduscapes.com/history/modern/1725.htm

Regency Libraries

Free public libraries as we know them today did not exist in the Regency. Libraries were part of book shops, and a fee was required to take out books.

Most of the bookshops were concentrated in large cites, such as London. Here’s a list of booksellers in London, with their specialties: http://www.londonancestor.com/leighs/books.htm

Some booksellers kept libraries, and some had Reading Rooms only.

Hatchard’s, the bookseller that figures most prominently in Regency romances, had a Reading Room, while Hookham’s had both a Reading Room and a circulating library.

Here’s Hookham’s library catalog: http://books.google.com/books/about/A_catalogue_of_Hookham_s_circulating_lib.html?id=WJYIAAAAQAAJ

Here’s Hookham’s ad for its library: http://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/ecco/004773836.0001.000/1:4?rgn=div1;view=fulltext

Libraries were not for the poor. Hookham’s yearly fee for taking out twelve books was forty-two shillings (two guineas, or two pounds, two shillings), about $150 in today’s money. Part of the large fee was due to Hookham’s location in high-priced Mayfair, but some was also due to the cost of books. Books were expensive, thanks to a tax on paper, and only the well-heeled could afford to buy or borrow.

In A Similar Taste in Books, my hero and heroine meet in Hookham’s circulating library over a copy of Pride and Prejudice. Since they both like Pride and Prejudice, can love be far behind?

A Similar Taste in Books, Book 1 of Love and the Library, available at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords and other places where eBooks are sold.

Thank you all,

Linda

Top picture is of the British Museum Reading Room, from Wikipedia