Periodicity, subscription and mass circulation: mail-order book culture reconsidered

Abstract

Connections between periodical studies and bookhistory run deep. When Leslie Howsam writes in Old Books and New Histories that the practitioners of book history“think about the reception, the composition, the material existence, and thecultural production of what is called the book only for lack of any bettercollective noun”,she emphasizes that the book is not limited to the codex format, and explicitlymentions periodical formats as part of the study of book culture. Similarly,Claire Battershill describes book history and periodical studies as“occup[ying] adjacent but separate corners of the scholarly field”, arguing foran integration of the two approaches. Inaddition, Laurel Brake’s nuanced understanding of “serials” and her analysis ofthe intersections between books and serials are illustrative of the productiveoverlaps. Buildingon this work, this article will show that there is still untapped potential inthe cross-section of book studies and periodical studies, especially when consideringmass-market periodical and book formats.