Having long shared a scholarly interest in the content of 19th-century periodicals, co-authors Linda E. Connors (Drew U., US) and Mary Lu MacDonald (Canada) combined forces so thoroughly that
neither one remembers who wrote which parts of this study, which concerns a time period often passed over by other histories but which they find particularly rich. They examine the periodical
press to discover assumptions about national identity and then integrate these findings into the broader context of recent scholarship about British national identity. Some portions began as
papers presented at meetings of the Society for the History of Authorship, Reading, and Publishing (SHARP). Chapters address the topic announced in the title in terms of political and economic
life, faith and religion, the prescribed identities of women and children, and colonialism, among other themes. Annotation 穢2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
