Subjects
Eighteenth-Century Coffee-House Culture
Editor: Markman Ellis
978 1 85196 829 9: 234x156mm: £350.00/$595.00
During the long eighteenth century the coffee-house brought about profound cultural transformations in English society. Much of the evidence for this view comes from printed satires, plays and histories of the period, many anonymous, fugitive and vulgar. This four-volume edition reprints in facsimile this rare body of texts, which greatly alters previous interpretations of the significance of the coffee-house as a social and democratic space. Eighteenth-Century Coffee-House Culture makes a substantial intervention in current debates about the nature of the public sphere and the culture of politeness.
Coffee-houses provided a forum for exchanging views and nurturing public opinion across the social spectrum. This is captured in the satires reproduced here. Coffee-house plays also celebrated the role of the coffee-house in circulating gossip, scandal, rumour and subversion. The distinct properties of the coffee-house were recognized in the period by natural philosophers, antiquarians and historians. Their debates on science and historiography are included in this edition. The coffee-room encouraged scientific culture and became a precursor of the laboratory: science became a public matter.
Interdisciplinary in character, Eighteenth-Century Coffee-House Culture is invaluable to all academic departments concerned with Restoration and Eighteenth-Century Studies. In particular it will appeal to historians and scholars of literature, science and medicine, politics, urban culture, theatre and the book. It allows scholars and students to form their own understanding of the unique contribution made by the coffee-house to British and even American history and culture.
- Most of the works included have never been republished, most remain very difficult to consult outside a few major research libraries, and few have ever been academically edited
- Each facsimile page is digitally cleaned and enhanced, significantly improving on the quality and legibility of the original
- General introduction and volume introductions
- Headnotes and endnotes to each text
- Concise bibliography and consolidated index in the final volume
Sample pages
- Volume 1: Anon., News from the Coffe-House; In Which it is Shewn their Several Sorts of Passions, Containing Newes from all our Neighbours Nations. A Poem (1667)
- Volume 1: Well-willer, The Women’s Petition Against Coffee (1674)
- Volume 4: Anon., The Nature of the Drink Kauhi, or Coffe, and the Berry of which it is Made (1659)
Contents
Volume 1: Restoration Satire
General Introduction; Volume Introduction; M P, A Character of Coffee and Coffee-Houses (1661); Woolnoth, The Coffee Scuffle (1662); The Tryall of the Coffee-Man (1662/3); Merc. Democ. [John Crouch], The maidens complain[t] against coffee (1663); A Cup of Coffee: or, Coffee in its Colours (1663); The Character of a Coffee-House (1665); News from the Coffe-House (1667); A Broad-side against Coffee; Or, the Marriage of the Turk (1672); The Character of a Coffee-House, with the Symptomes of a Town-Wit (1673); Coffee-houses Vindicated in answer to the late published Character of a Coffee-House (1673); The Grand Concern of England Explained (1673); The Women’s Petition Against Coffee (1674); The Mens Answer to the Womens Petition Against Coffee (1674); A Brief Description of the Excellent Vertues of that Sober and Wholesome Drink, called Coffee (1674); William Hicks, Coffee-house jests (1677); A Bridle for the Tongue: Or, A Curb to Evil discourse (1678); A Satyr Against Coffee ([1679]); A dialogue between Tom and Dick, over a dish of coffee, concerning matters of religion and government (1680); At Amsterdamnable-Coffee-House On the 5th of November next, will be Exposed to publick Sale these Goods following ([1682]); J C B [Aphra Behn?], Rebellions antidote: or A Dialogue between coffee and tea (1685); The School of Politicks: or, The Humours of a Coffee-House. A Poem (1690); The Art of Getting Money by Double-Fac’d Wagers (1691); The City Cheat discovered: or, A New Coffe-house Song (1691); The complaint of all the she-traders … against the city cheats, or the new coffee-houses ([1682–93]); ‘Letter from a French gentleman in London to his friend in Paris … Containing an Account of Will’s Coffeehouse, and of the Toasting and Kit-Kat-Clubs’ (1701); Edward Ward, The Humours of a Coffee House: a Comedy (1707); Edward Arwaker, ‘Fable XXIX: The Coffee-House: Or, A Man’s Credit, is his Cash’ (1708); Edward Ward, Vulgus Britannicus: or, the British Hudibras (1710); John Macky, A Journey Through England. In Familiar Letters. From a Gentleman Here, to his Friend Abroad (1714); Lewis Theobald, ‘Coffee-House Humours Exposed’ (1717)
Volume 2: The Eighteenth-Century Satire
Volume Introduction; Coffee: a tale (1727); The Velvet Coffee-woman (1728); Coffee-man, The Case of the Coffee-men of London and Westminter [sic] ([1728]); The case between the proprietors of news-papers, and the subscribing coffee-men, fairly stated (1729); The case between the proprietors of news-papers, and the coffee-men of London and Westminster, fairly stated ([1729]); James Salter, A catalogue of the rarities to be seen at Don Saltero’s Coffee-house in Chelsea (1729); Anthony Hilliar, A Brief and Merry History of Great Britain ([1730]); The Life and Character of Moll King, late mistress of King’s Coffee-house in Covent-garden ([1747]); Arthur Murphy, ‘[Account of Jonathan’s Coffee-House]’; ‘[Proposal for a Female Coffee-House]’ ([1753–4]); George’s coffee house. A poem (1761); Memoirs of the Bedford Coffee-House (1763); The British coffee-house. A poem (1764); A Sunday Ramble; or, Modern Sabbath-Day Journey ([1776]); Johann Wilhelm von Archenholz, A Picture of England (1789)
Volume 3: Drama
Volume Introduction; [John Tatham], Knavery in all Trades: or, The Coffee-House. A Comedy (1664); Thomas Sydserf, Tarugo’s Wiles: or, the Coffee-House. A Comedy (1668); Elkanah Settle, The New Athenian Comedy (1693); Charles Johnson, The generous husband: or, the coffee house politician ([1711]); Exchange-Alley: or, the stock-jobber turn’d gentleman (1720); James Miller, The Coffee-House. A Dramatick Piece (1737); The Usurpers: or the Coffee-House Politicians. A farce (1749)
Volume 4: Science and History Writing
Volume Introduction; [Walter Rumsey], Organon Salutis. An Instrument to Cleanse the Stomach (1659); The Nature of the Drink Kauhi, or Coffe, and the Berry of which it is made (1659); N D, The Vertues of Coffee (1663); Robert Morton, The nature, quality, and most excellent vertues of coffee ([c. 1670]); A Proclamation to Restrain the Spreading of False News, and Licentious Talking of Matters of State and Government (1672); A Proclamation for the Suppression of Coffee-Houses (1675); An Additional Proclamation Concerning Coffee-Houses (1675/6); [John Chamberlayne], The Natural History of Coffee, Tea, Chocolate, Tobacco (1682); John Chamberlayne, The Manner of Making Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate (1685); Hans Sloane, ‘An Account of … the Coffee-Shrub’ (1693/4); James Lightbody, Every man his own gauger (1695); John Houghton, ‘A Discourse of Coffee, read at a Meeting of the Royal Society’ (1699); Richard Bradley, The Virtue and Use of Coffee, with Regard to the Plague, and other Infectious Distempers (1721); James Douglas, Arbor Yemensis fructum Cofè ferens: or, a Description and History of the Coffee Tree (1727); James Douglas, A Supplement to the Description of the Coffee-Tree, lately published by Dr. Douglas (1727); Jean de La Roque, ‘An Historical Treatise Concerning the Original and Progress of Coffee’ (1732); [John Hill], A dissertation on Royal Societies (1750); John Ellis, An Historical Account of Coffee (1774); Consolidated Index
Reviews
'It is wonderful to read these texts at first hand, in the earthy language of the day'
– Bee Wilson, The Times Literary Supplement
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