Foreword -- List of Illustrations -- List of Abbreviations and Archive Names -- I. Historical Research on Reading and Writing: From Book Ownership to the Use of Media -- The history of reading -- The history of reading as a research fi eld -- A different perspective: Reading within the framework of media history -- Research on historical readers -- Research on historical reading behaviour -- Egodocuments as source material -- Structure of the book -- II. Mirror of Literacy: Reading and Writing in the Diary (1624) of David Beck -- A German schoolmaster in the Dutch Republic -- 'Mirror of my life' -- The conversation of the day -- Writing habits -- Conversation at a distance: correspondence -- Writing at school -- Income and expenditure in writing -- Paper poetry: the oeuvre of the poet David Beck -- Writing poetry and everyday life -- Publication in manuscript form -- 'Mousing and rummaging': Beck's reading behaviour -- Handwritten reading -- Poetic taste: Beck's reading of printed texts -- Aging French poems and topical Dutch prose -- Beck's books in other sources -- 'Nosing around' in bookshops or at the Binnenhof -- Books in everyday life -- Diverse ways of reading -- Reading in order to write -- Final remarks -- III. Aristocratic Literacy: Pieter Teding van Berkhout and his 'Journal' ( 1669-1712) -- The life of a gentleman of rank -- 'Journal contenant mes occupations' -- Final remarks -- The aristocratisation of everyday conversation? -- Putting pen to paper -- Written contacts: correspondence and writing style -- Writing and family history -- Political notes -- A lifetime of reading -- Teding van Berkhout's library -- A historical taste -- Reading à la mode -- An unusual taste? -- Purchases and gift s -- The delights of country life -- Reading a book -- Reading for edifi cation and entertainment.

IV. Aural and Eyewitness Testimony: Reading, Writing, and Discussions of Current Aff airs in Jan de Boer's chronological journal (1747-1758) -- The life of an Amsterdam clerk -- The diary or 'journal' of Jan de Boer -- Historiography of the news -- Final remarks -- The flow of information: De Boer's news sources -- News in the street -- News on printed paper -- The news of 1755 -- News from many sides -- Reading the news: printed matter in the diary -- Newspapers -- Newspaper reports in the diary -- Information and discussion in pamphlets -- News in pamphlets -- 'Only an oortje': the distribution of pamphlets -- The anonymous author of the pamphlet 'Pro Patria' -- Pamphlet readers and their responses -- Other informative publications: ordinances, periodicals and prints -- News as history -- V. A Devout Reader and Writer: Literacy in Jacoba van Thiel's 'Account-Book of the Soul' (1767-1770) -- A life lived amid the clergy -- Daily register or 'account-book of the soul' -- Pious conversation -- A devout Christian woman with a pen -- Pious correspondence -- 'Somewhat free from the earth': on keeping a diary -- Piety with books: Van Thiel's reading -- A religious glutton -- Old or new? -- Readers of pious literature and readers of novels -- The parsonage library -- Relatives and women in Luchtmans' shop -- Purchases and gifts -- Reading and the daily struggle -- Daily books: Van Thiel's modes of reading -- Nourishing the soul -- Final remarks -- VI. Literacy in Everyday Life -- Speech, writing and reading -- Forms of reading behaviour -- Appendix I: Reading Behaviour in Figures -- Appendix II: Titles of Books Mentioned in the Diaries -- List of Sources -- Bibliography -- Index.