Tradition and Innovation in English Retailing, 1700 to 1850

by Dr Ian Mitchell

2014 · Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

Three decades of research into retailing in England from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries has established a seemingly clear narrative: fixed shops were widespread from an early date; 'modern' methods of retailing were common from at least the early eighteenth century; shopping was a skilled activity throughout the period; and consumers were increasingly part of - and aware of being part of - a polite and fashionable culture. All of this is true, but is it the only narrative? Research has shown that markets were still important well into the nineteenth century and small scale producer-retailers co-existed with modern warehouses. Many shops were not smart. The development of modern retailing therefore was a fractured and fragmented process. This book presents a reassessment of the standard view by challenging the usefulness of concepts like 'traditional' and 'modern', examining consumption and retailing as inextricably linked aspects of a single process, and by using the idea of narrative to discuss the roles and perceptions of the various actors in this process - such as retailers, shoppers/consumers, local authorities and commentators. The book is therefore structured around some of these competing narratives in order to provide a richer and more varied picture of consumption and retailing in provincial England.

Retailing and the Language of Goods, 1550–1820

by Dr Nancy Cox

2015 · Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.

This book explores the meanings assigned to goods sold retail from 1550 to 1820 and how their labels were understood. The first half of the book focuses on mercantile language more broadly; how it was used in trade and how lexicographers approached new vocabularies. In the second half, the author turns to the goods themselves, and their relationships with such terms as ‘luxury’, ‘choice’ and ‘love’. The study of consumables opens up new ways of looking at the everyday language of the early modern period as well as the experiences of trade and consumption for merchant and consumer.