Mistresses of the Press: The Roles of Women in Print Houses in 17th Century England
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Date
2019-01-01
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Department
History
Program
Historical Studies
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Access limited to the UMBC community. Item may possibly be obtained via Interlibrary Loan thorugh a local library, pending author/copyright holder's permission.
This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
Abstract
This theses examines the participation of women in the seventeenth-century English print trade. While previous research emphasizes a lack of the study of women in early print, this theses highlights seven women who actively participated in the London and provincial print trade. Using contemporary sources such as the Stationer's Company records along contemporary wills of printers and booksellers, this study shows that women did have a place in early printing. Women were important participants in the networks of early printing in the household and their communities. By controlling an aspect of printing, as printers, managers, or booksellers, women gained a form of agency in a male-dominated space. Taking part in the network of early printing gave women some freedom, protection, and ownership that did not necessarily existed for them outside the trade. Seventeenth-century England experienced several critical events that influenced the way print trade operated; however, the political conflicts of the century also created an opening for women's participation in printing.