I always found the idea of blogging intimidating (and the word 'blogging' horribly unattractive), but the trend is here to stay and the word most certainly has earned a place in the OED. It is only recently that I realized this medium's potential to effectively disseminate information and thus alleviate one of the frustrations of an academic - that years of research remain confined to an obscure scholarly journal or trapped in the dusty stacks of theses. While conferences and lecturers gather people together for the purpose of debating and discussing, the guests are usually already interested in the topic. I have spent years researching Samuel Richardson's Pamela, theories of book history, types of book bindings, specific illustrators, and reading spaces because I find it fascinating, but the initial spark for the focus on Pamela came from the University of Michigan's attractive website with a collection of illustrations. I have created this blog with a similar hope in mind - that those who stumble across my blog will find their curiosity piqued.
In the next few weeks, I will be posting information about my latest research trips, some of my essays, creating an online bibliography of Pamela and Pamela-related publications, compiling an essential reading list, and adding plenty of links. Enjoy!
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