Examining new research, this excellent volume presents a series of case-studies exemplifying the new newspaper history. Using cross-cultural comparisons, Joad Raymond establishes an agenda for answering crucial questions central to the future histories of the political and literary culture of early-modern Britain: * What is the relationship between the circulation of news in Britain and communication networks elsewhere in Europe? * Was the British development of the media unique? * What are the specific rhetorical properties of news-communication in seventeeth-century Britain? * What was the relationship between commerce and politics? * How do local exchanges of news relate to national practices and institutions? Previously published as a special issue of the journal Media History, this book is compulsory reading for researchers and students of European history and media studies alike.