The Practical Renaissance

Reviews / Votes

The Practical Renaissance is an ambitious survey of the terrain of practical knowledge in early modern England, as well as the diverse community of "knowledge-mongers" and readers that inhabited it. It will be of interest to historians and students who study any part of that terrain. * The Journal of Modern History * This well written and well-argued work provides enough analysis to provide further avenues of research for the historian interested in the history of knowledge and information. ... Seger's thematic selection coupled with her clear presentation of evidence is sure to keep the attention and sate the interests of even the most ambitious and enthusiastic students. * The Middle Ground Journal * [This book] is interesting, well-written, well-conceived, covers a vast amount of material and numerous relevant subjects and fills a gap in the knowledge of many Renaissance scholars. * Andrew Hadfield, Professor of English, University of Sussex, UK * [Donna A.] Seger's accessible and readable introduction will surely inspire further work: book historians might look more closely at patterns of reprinting and circulation ... By bringing together this range of sources, and decisively defining "useful books" as a distinctive genre in print, [The Practical Renaissance] offers a helpful contribution to an expanded view of early modern literary and scientific cultures. -- Jessica Rosenberg, Cornell University, USA * The Journal of British Studies * While being a thoroughly-researched end in itself, Seger's study is also a valuable starting point for the study of how knowledge production and application fit within the wider social and cultural context of early modern England. * Cultural and Social History *