Nineteenth-Century Communications: Volume I: Reforming the Mails (1)

Synopsis

This volume focuses on the development of mail services between ca. 1780 and 1860. It takes as its starting point John Palmer’s proposal to reform the mail coach system in the 1780s. As part of this volume, the following themes and subjects are covered: Mail services prior to the introduction of the penny post, including the rise and fall of the mail coach; correspondence and surveillance during the Napoleonic wars; the emergence of local penny posts; and debates about the franking privileges of Members of Parliament. Campaigns for and against the introduction of Rowland Hill’s scheme for penny postage between 1837 and 1840. Cultural responses to, and repercussions of, the introduction of the penny post in 1840. The 1844 letter opening scandal. The development of mail infrastructure from 1840 onward, including the development of rural post routes and the use of the railways for the conveyance of the mail.

Copyright:

2026

Book Details

Book Quality:

Publisher Quality

Book Size:

634 Pages

ISBN-13:

9781040362662

Related ISBNs:

9781003036043, 9781040362631, 9780367477059

Publisher:

Taylor & Francis

Date of Addition:

09/30/25

Copyrighted By:

selection and editorial matter, Karin Koehler, Nicola Kirkby, Kathleen McIlvenna, Eleanor Hopkins, Ellen Smith and Harriet M. Thompson

Adult content:

No

Language:

English

Has Image Descriptions:

No

Categories:

History, Nonfiction

Submitted By:

Bookshare Staff

Usage Restrictions:

This is a copyrighted book.

Edited by:

Karin Koehler

Edited by:

Nicola Kirkby

Edited by:

Kathleen McIlvenna

Edited by:

Ellen Smith

Edited by:

Eleanor Hopkins

Edited by:

Harriet Thompson