I am an American Literature professor at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. I'm currently at work on a book about American fiction and financial panics between 1880 and 1913 (a revision of my Berkeley dissertation). At the moment, I'm examining the anxieties a number of late-19th.-c American economic observers had about the economic effects of reading and writing, and I'm trying to understand the pre-history of these anxieties. I'm interested in these observers' belief that certain kinds of reading were economically salutary and certain kinds of reading were economically dangerous. Specifically, I'm interested in the role they saw certain kinds of reading and writing playing in the production (or prevention) of economic crises.
David Zimmerman [[EMAIL PROTECTED]] My question: Could you point me to any comments made by 18th-century or early 19th-century economic observers in Britain or America about the economic effects of writing and reading (or certain kinds of writing and reading, or specific texts)? Do you know of any scholary discussions of the role reading and writing played in the production (or prevention) of economic crises, or any studies of 18th-c. or 19th-c. discussions of this role? I'm interested in examining in some depth why these observers thought certain types of books (fiction, for example, or certain popular pamphlets, or specific economic texts) would help provoke financial and commercial crises. Whom else might I contact for more on this? Thank you, as always, for your help. I look forward to hearing from you. Best, David Zimmerman -- Michael Perelman Economics Department California State University [EMAIL PROTECTED] Chico, CA 95929 530-898-5321 fax 530-898-5901
