"Tracing the variety of printed commodities that were circulating in the urban sphere, Agnes Gehbald provides a comprehensive study of print culture in Peru in the decades before Independence. An important volume for those interested in the history of books beyond the European market"--

Agnes Gehbald is a Lecturer in Modern History at Bern University. Her research focuses on the study of printing and book history, the Viceroyalty of Peru, and transatlantic connections. This is her first book.

Introduction: a social history of books; 1. Colonial confines; 2. Growing supplies; 3. An expanding market; 4. Bestselling genres; 5. The reach of reading material; Conclusion: a community of readers across the Atlantic; Appendix A: bibliographic categories; Appendix B: printing workshops in Lima, c. 1760-1820; Appendix C: book trade personnel in Lima, 1770-1822; Appendix D: map of the sites of printing and bookselling in Lima, 1760-1822; Appendix E: boxes with books imported to Callao, 1776-1818; Bibliography; Index.