Tradition and Innovation in English Retailing, 1700 to 1850. Narratives of consumption

Notes:

Scholarly account providing a 'reassessment of the standard view [of retailing history] by challenging the usefulness of concepts like "tradition" 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 the process - such as retailers, shoppers/consumers, local authorities and commentators'. Structured in three parts: 1] 'Tradition and dynamic - retailing c1700-1820' - 'Basic goods at a fair price - the morality of the market' / 'Pillars of the community - traditional urban retailers'; / 'On the margins - itinerant traders and neighbourhood shopkeepers'; 2] 'Disturbing influences - luxury, novelty and fashion' - 'Competing narratives - consumption and contentment' / 'A fashionable assortment - retailing and polite society' / 'Showing off - consuming and collecting'; 3] 'Retailing, consumption and modernity - adaption and innovation, c1820-1850' - 'Triumph of commerce - the changing face of retailing, c1820-50' / 'Civic pride - market halls'