[An] important integrated analysis of the national and provincial press.

Journal of British Studies

This is an excellent addition to the field of journalism history. Completely up-to-date with contemporary developments and critical literature, Black provides an outstanding yet concise historical overview of how newspapers have come to have a central role in the contemporary world and what we might lose if they were to disappear from our media ecology.

Martin Conboy, Professor of Journalism History, University of Sheffield, UK

Many professional historians are still reluctant to take the press and media seriously. Jeremy Black is a notable exception. This is an original, provocative and concise historian's history of the English press which demands our attention. His critical discussion of the present challenges facing the newspaper industry is anchored in a deep knowledge of the content of British newspapers from the eighteenth century onwards.

Kevin Williams, Emeritus Professor of Media and Communication Studies, Swansea University, UK

[A] strong addition to recent scholarship on the English press, which succinctly and engagingly appreciates how newspapers occupy, and will continue to occupy, a complex and important place within ever-changing political, technological and social contexts.

Library & Information History