Stationer’s Voice

This volume provides a thorough analysis of the Company of Stationers, drawing heavily on unpublished Company records. Author Timothy Feist places the Stationer’s Co. in the context of the burgeoning “consumer society” of the 18th century & relates the almanacs’ content with the political developments of the post-Revolution whig state. He argues that the almanac’s creation, production, & distribution need to be understood through the commercial imperatives driving the Company, which controlled the monopoly. Feist’s discussion of almanac content in the early 18th century stresses its preoccupation with order, harmony, & unity, & he skillfully links the almanacs’ association of political with mathematical order.