This book is a major survey of the English newspaper and the way it developed from 1660 to the early eighteenth century, a crucial period in its long history. Professor Sutherland's approach is comprehensive and topics covered include: the administration of newspapers, their sources of information, the reliability of reporting, the contributions of country and foreign correspondents, and the extent to which papers were able to print political news and express political opinions in a period of government repression. A final chapter provides an account of the chaotic and often dangerous lives of newspaper men and women. The emphasis throughout falls on how much was actually achieved in difficult circumstances, and how often modern developments were anticipated. This will be a useful work of reference for scholars of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century literature, as well as for political and social historians.
