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| A printing of Mercurius Civicus from 1645. |
The beginnings of English journalism could be said to lie in the newsbooks that originated in the 16th century. Early incarnations often focussed on news from abroad, and it was not until the rapid proliferation during the English Civil War that newsbooks came to focus heavily on domestic issues. Pamphlets such as the Royalist Mercurius Aulicus and the Parliament-supporting Mercurius Britannicus brought the conflict into print by aiming to score propaganda victories, with an estimated 300 different newsbooks appearing at various times during the 1640s.
Publisher Tyger's Head Books recently re-published the first two volumes one of these titles, Mercurius Civicus (1643-46). In this guest article, editor Serena Jones explains more about the origin and format of mid-17th century newsbooks, the challenges for researchers in accessing them, and the origins of the re-publication project ...
