Book Culture in Post-Revolutionary Virginia.

Surveys the scholarly debate about the rise of print culture, and then focuses on the South, and on Virginia in particular. Analyzes the distribution of books in Virginia after the American Revolution as a means to advance understanding about the history of the reading public. Inventories of estates provide evidence of book ownership, although the expense of printed volumes often limited ownership; only half the inventories recorded any books. Book ownership was more prevalent in rural than urban areas and, despite the spread of book culture, Virginia (like the rest of the country) trailed New England in its acceptance.