William Parks by A Franklin Parks

William Parks by A Franklin Parks

William Parks: The Colonial Printer in the Transatlantic World of the Eighteenth Century is a cultural biography that traces the important early American printer and newspaper publisher's path from the rural provinces of England to London and then to colonial Maryland and Virginia. While incorporating much new biographical information, the book widens the lens to take in the print culture on both sides of the Atlantic-as well as the societal pressures on printing and publishing in England and colonial America in the early to mid-eighteenth century, with the printer as a focal point. After a struggling start in England, William Parks became a critical figure for both Annapolis and Williamsburg. He provided the southern United States with its first newspapers as well as civic leadership, book printing and selling, paper, and even postal services. Despite Jefferson's later dismissal of his Williamsburg newspaper as simply a governmental organ, Parks often pushed the limits of what was expected of a public printer, occasionally getting into trouble and confronting the kind of control and censorship that would eventually make evident the need for press freedoms in the new republic. It has often been asserted that, had Parks not died unexpectedly and relatively young, his reputation would have rivaled that of Franklin as a printer, entrepreneur, and man of affairs.

“This very welcome biography gathers up a surprising number of scholarly notes on and references to the important early American printer and newspaper publisher William Parks, and then adds new documentary evidence to the pileTo tell the story (and that it is a good narrative is one of the book’s strengths), A. Franklin Parks has truly had to produce a transatlantic study, not only because the materials of production and the information communicated involved British and American relations but also because Parks the printer worked in both worlds. Readers will be glad to get to know William Parks. He is an engaging and interesting man, a man of vision who enlightened two colonies.”

—Jim May, editor of the Eighteenth-Century Intelligencer

“This very welcome biography gathers up a surprising amount of scholarly notes on and book references to the important early American printer and newspaper publisher William Parks, and then adds new documentary evidence to the pile. To tell the story (and that it is a good narrative is one of the book's strengths) Professor A. Franklin Parks has truly had to produce a transatlantic study.”

—James E. May The Eighteenth Century Intelligencer

“Overall, this rich narrative is not only a nice addition to Lawrence Wroth’s works on Parks and colonial printing but also to the history of the book. While students of colonial America and the Atlantic world will benefit from this book, the author demonstrates new avenues to explore in studies on period reading and literature.”

—K. A. Wisniewski Maryland Historical Magazine

“This study is a valuable guide to the contexts in which religious, social and political print discourse took place in the southern colonies during the first decades of the eighteenth century.”

—Chris Fauske Anglican and Episcopal History

A. Franklin Parks was Professor of English at Frostburg State University.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780271052120
ISBN 10	0271052120
Title	William Parks
Author	A Franklin Parks
Series	Penn State Series In The History Of The Book
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Pennsylvania State University Press
Year published	2016-03-15
Number of pages	232
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.