The Specter of the Archive

An exploration of the proliferation of paper in early modern Britain and its far-reaching effects on politics and society.
 
We commonly think of ourselves as living amid an unprecedented abundance of information. In The Specter of the Archive, Nicholas Popper shows that earlier eras had to grapple with similarly mixed blessings.
 
He reveals that early modern Britain was a society newly drowning in paper—for them a light and durable technology whose spread allowed statesmen to record drafts, memoranda, and other ephemera that might otherwise have been lost, and also made it possible for ordinary people to collect political texts. As the volume of original paperwork ballooned, the number of copies grew even more: secretaries took down version after version of letters, records, policy proposals, and other documents. As those seeking to advance their careers flooded the government with paper, information management became a core element of politics, and England’s history of flexible institutions coalesced into the image of a stable state. Focusing on two of the primary political archives of early modern England, the Tower of London Record Office and the State Paper Office, Popper traces the circulation of their materials through the government and the broader public sphere. In this early media-saturated society, we find the origins of many of the same issues we face today: Who shapes the archive? Can we trust the picture of the past and present that it shows us? How do we decide what to preserve, what to copy and disseminate, and what to discard? And, in a more politically urgent vein: Does a huge volume of widely available information (not all of it accurate) risk contributing to polarization and extremism?

“Popper’s focus on the keepers and users of the records of the Tower of London and the newly formed State Paper Office gives us a brilliant new perspective on statecraft in England, ca. 1559–1700. Greater attention to creating and managing archives changed political practice; skills in paperwork became grounds for advancement and archives were plumbed for arguments to support the full range of political causes of the day, transforming the role of information in governance in ways that still resonate today.” Ann Blair, Harvard University
“This powerful and engaging book offers a bold account of why practices of information management should matter to early modern historians. The Specter of the Archive demands very serious attention, and it will surely stimulate a vigorous debate and a wealth of new research.” Jason Peacey, University College London
"This is a thought-provoking book on issues of considerable historical significance and great contemporary resonance." Times Literary Supplement

Nicholas Popper is associate professor of history at William & Mary and the author of Walter Ralegh’s “History of the World” and the Historical Culture of the Late Renaissance, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

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