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Image 2.9
The Freedom of the Press, anonymous,
1798, Bibliotheque nationale, Paris (Popkin,
62).
This engraving shows the urgent process of
printing and distributing newspapers in the streets of Paris.
Publishers worked to get the most current information into every
available hand; women, men, and children. After the Revolution,
the number of Paris printing shops jumped dramatically from 36
to 221, and there was basically no liscense necessary to open
a shop or become a publisher. With so many different people and
periodicals involved, intense competition kept prices low and
therefore affordable for even the working-class.
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