Books behind Bars: The Role of Books, Reading, and Libraries in British Prison Reform, 1701-1911

This is a unique study of the role of books and libraries in British prisons during the period of penal reforms between 1700 and 1911. Fyfe discusses the role of groups and individuals who advanced the ideology of reform as well as those who were actively engaged in bringing reading material into the jails and prisons of Great Britain. She examines the extent that different penal institutions and systems--including not only local jails and national prisons but also convict settlements and the hulks--came to adopt the use of books and libraries and their rationales for doing so. One of the author's most valuable contributions to the field is her rich bibliography of primary sources.