The Dal Libraries is pleased to announce we now have a subscription to Literary Print Culture, a digital primary source database of The Stationers’ Company Archive in London that explores the history of printing, publishing and bookselling from 1554 to the 21st century.
from the website:
The archive of the Stationers’ Company is widely regarded as one of the most important sources for studying the history of the book, publishing and copyright. The Company was instrumental in the development of the printed book in early modern England, exerting enormous power over the publishing industry as it developed. This resource provides essential primary sources for students and scholars of English literature, Renaissance theatre, and print culture from the early modern period to the twentieth century.
The arrival of printing caused a social and cultural revolution in late 15th century Britain. The Stationers’ Company was granted immense power by Royal Charter to control this nascent industry, requiring all works to be licensed and entered into a ‘Book of Copies’, in order to censor seditious and heretical works. The Registers quickly became used by publishers and printers to assert their exclusive rights over their publications, developing the concept of ‘copyright’.