Literary Continuities/Imperative Education

People get their worldview from what they read. In a reading-saturated society such as 18th-century America, the most popular books determined the public consciousness. As such, the origin of these books must be carefully examined. Herein lies the question of whose books and ideas were popularized. According to quantitative analysis of primary evidence gathered from private and public library collections as well as booksellers’ advertisements and inventories, the majority of books read in 18th-century America could be considered British more than American. Before, during, and after the American Revolution the most popular and highly culturally valued books were still British. This explains the continued Britishness of Americans even after they declared and won political independence. Few scholars consider the implication of the origin of early American ideas, particularly in the study of popular books, leading to a common misconception about the rate at which American society became wholly American.