Circulating libraries were popular during the Regency Period. Books were costly in the 19thcentury, which brought about the birth of this new business. The circulating library made a profit by lending books to readers for a fee. To use the circulating library you had to pay a subscription that many of the lower classes could not afford, however the middle classes could. This in turn allowed the middle class to broaden their understanding and education by reading histories, philosophies, biographies, travel, poetry, and plenty of fictional works.
The first circulating library was established in 1725 by Allan Ramsay in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 1728, James Leake established a circulating library in England. By the end of the century there were 1,000 circulating libraries in England. The biggest circulating library in the 18thcentury was Minerva Press Circulating Library in London. Created by John Lane, this library advertised over 20,000 titles, when most averaged around 5,000 titles with 1,000 considered fictional works. Circulating libraries were found in towns with a population of over 2,000 residents and in resort areas like Brighton, Scarborough, and Basingstoke.
Later in the 18thcentury, some of the circulating libraries began to take on the role of publishing. Although they didn’t have widespread distribution channels for the books they published, they did publish many female works, which was a rarity for the publishing houses at the time, as they preferred works by men. This is why many of the books published through circulating libraries were published anonymously.
Due to the libraries great success, publishers and circulating libraries became dependent upon each other for profit. Circulating libraries and lending or subscription libraries were similar as they both circulated books, nevertheless the lending library tended to want to share knowledge and scholarly works with others, while the circulating library’s main intent was profit. With the increasing demand for fiction, the circulating libraries filled the need that subscription libraries didn’t. Subscription libraries were created by and for local communities and they aimed to establish a permanent collection of books that would be mutually beneficial for the shareholders, rather than selling their collections annually as the circulating libraries tended to do for profit. For two guineas a year, a patron could borrow two volumes from a circulating library, so for the price of one book a patron could read 26 volumes a year. By the 19thcentury, most copies of a novel were sold to the circulating libraries and when the interest of a book decreased, the books were resold.
In the late 18th century and throughout the 19thcentury, there was a high demand for novels, especially by women. Due to the high cost of books, women flocked to these libraries to read the latest fictional releases. Unfortunately, many in society felt that female readers wouldn’t be able to differentiate reality from fiction. They believed reading these novels would give women unrealistic expectations about life.
By the 19thcentury, circulating libraries were well established in British culture. In 1815, a 3-volume novel would cost the equivalent of $100 today. In 1814, Jane Austen was concerned about the second edition of Mansfield Parkand wrote, “People are more ready to borrow and praise, than to buy – which I cannot wonder at.” Circulating libraries became fashionable meeting places for women, offering the guests sitting areas were raffles and games could be played. Most importantly, they offered women an opportunity to read on a large scale, although some ladies merely frequented the libraries to see and be seen by others.
One of the biggest booksellers of the time was Lackington Allen & Company at Finsbury Square. The store called, The Temple of the Muses was a bookshop and circulating library. Lackington’s slogan: “Cheapest Bookseller in the World.” The picture below is of the first floor interior in 1809.
By the 20thcentury, circulating libraries were no longer necessary due to the reduced cost of books and their enlarged accessibility to the public. The modern public library became more commonplace and the introduction of the paperback caused a further drop in book pricing. Although some people still used the circulating libraries as the subscription prices lessoned, the circulating library was becoming a thing of the past. The only bookshop and circulating library still around today is Hatchard’s in Piccadilly, established in 1797.
A special thank you to: http://britishcirculatinglibraries.weebly.com/history.html, https://janeaustensworld.wordpress.com/2010/08/30/the-circulating-library-in-regency-times/, https://englishhistoryauthors.blogspot.com/2012/01/libraries-in-georgian-and-regency.html
