The Literacy Myth : Cultural Integration and Social Structure in the Nineteenth Century

Harvey Graff's pioneering study presents a new and original interpretation of the place of literacy in nineteenth-century society and culture.

Based upon an intensive comparative historical analysis, employing both qualitative and quantitative techniques, and on a wide range of sources, The Literacy Myth reevaluates the role typically assigned to literacy in historical scholarship, cultural understanding, economic development schemes, and social doctrines and ideologies.