Book contents
- The Enclosure of Knowledge
- Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
- The Enclosure of Knowledge
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Rethinking Agricultural Books, Knowledge and Labour
- Chapter 2 Learning without Books
- Chapter 3 Standing on the Shoulders of Peasants
- Chapter 4 Learning without Labour
- Chapter 5 Dividing Head and Hand
- Chapter 6 Monopolising Knowledge
- Chapter 7 The Master Should Know More
- Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Introduction
Pen over Plough
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 July 2022
- The Enclosure of Knowledge
- Cambridge Studies in Early Modern British History
- The Enclosure of Knowledge
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgements
- Notes
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 Rethinking Agricultural Books, Knowledge and Labour
- Chapter 2 Learning without Books
- Chapter 3 Standing on the Shoulders of Peasants
- Chapter 4 Learning without Labour
- Chapter 5 Dividing Head and Hand
- Chapter 6 Monopolising Knowledge
- Chapter 7 The Master Should Know More
- Conclusion
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This introduction sketches the main arguments about the contribution of farming books to the development of agrarian capitalism and lays the groundwork for the detailed argument in later chapters. It first offers a critique of the standard research paradigm, the enlightenment model, which only evaluates the role of books with respect to technological change and is insensitive to early modern social relations. It then explains the research method and scope, focused on British agricultural books printed between 1660 and 1800. Since the structure of the book is thematic, it presents a broad survey of agricultural books and authors to serve as a reference for the rest of the book. It ends by summarising how the core argument is developed over seven chapters.
Keywords
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- Information
- The Enclosure of KnowledgeBooks, Power and Agrarian Capitalism in Britain, 1660–1800, pp. 1 - 35Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2022