Catholic Print Networks in Restoration London, 1660-1688
The Cross-Confessional World of Later Stuart Print Culture
Catholic Print Networks in Restoration London, 1660-1688
The Cross-Confessional World of Later Stuart Print Culture
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Publisher: Boydell & Brewer Ltd
ISBN: 9781914967108
Number of Pages: 336
Published: 13/01/2026
Width: 15.6 cm
Height: 23.4 cm
Uncovers the hidden networks behind Catholic publishing in Restoration London, where politics, religion, and print intersected in unexpected ways under Charles II, James VII/II, and Queen Catherine of Braganza.
In the politically volatile decades following the Restoration, the Catholic book trade in London remained a vibrant and adaptive force. This study reconstructs the networks-commercial, familial, and religious-that sustained the production and circulation of Catholic texts between 1660 and 1688. These networks operated within and across confessional boundaries, drawing in Protestants and Catholics alike, and were shaped by shifting legal frameworks, urban patronage, and the ambiguities of what constituted a 'popish' text.
Focusing on the lived experience of printers, booksellers, and readers, the book challenges the notion of Catholic isolation in Protestant England. It reveals how Catholic print culture was embedded in the broader English print economy and public sphere, often sharing tools, spaces, and strategies with dissenting and loyalist traditions. From Somerset House to the streets of London, Catholic actors navigated censorship and suspicion with ingenuity, contributing to a paradoxical print culture that was both illicit and integrated.
Engaging with the fields of Catholic history, book history, and Restoration studies, this monograph offers a new framework for understanding religious identity, toleration, and the mechanics of clandestine publishing. It brings to light the agency of overlooked figures and repositions Catholic print as a central, rather than marginal, feature of early modern English society.
List of Figures
Abbreviations
Conventions
Introduction
Part 1: The Book World of Restoration Catholics
Chapter 1 - Restoration Catholics and Their Books: Recusant and Clerical Libraries and the Forces that Shaped Them
Chapter 2 - Navigating the Restoration Catholic Book Trade: Defining 'Popish', The Licensing Act, and the Black Market
Part 2: The Spaces of Catholic Print
Chapter 3 - Clandestine Print in the City: The Spaces and Patrons of Catholic London
Chapter 4 - Books from a Friend in the City: The Circulation Networks of Catholic Print
Part 3: Change and the Catholic Print Trade
Chapter 5 - Catholic Print During Crisis: The Popish Plot and the End of Licensing
Chapter 6 - A Catholic King's Press: The Print Network(s) of James VII/II
Conclusion
Appendix A - Matthew Turner's 1687 Monopoly
Appendix B - Bookmen of the Catholic Print Trade under James VII/II
Appendix C - Tables of Printed Catholic Sermons Preached in England
Bibliography