The Book Trade in Aberdeen, Glasgow, and the Smaller Burghs to 1785

Chapter 4 looks at the development of the book trade in Aberdeen, Glasgow, and the smaller burghs of Scotland during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It traces the succession of town printers in Aberdeen and Glasgow and their production of slight and ephemeral works aimed at the widest audience. It explores the role of chapmen in carrying almanacs, ballads, and small books into the rural areas of Scotland and demonstrates the ways in which a national print network was expanding across the Lowlands. By the end of this period, presses were being established in towns across the country, taking the production of cheaply printed literature ever closer to its audience.