The Grub-Street Journal and the Changing Culture of Information in the Early 1730s

Between 1730 and 1733, the Grub-Street Journal was one of the most renowned and controversial weekly news-sheets produced and sold in London. This article traces the attempts made by the editors of the Journal to make sense of, and manipulate, the changing fashions related to the organization and consumption of information. The Grub-Street Journal linked critiques of new forms of information organization, such as printed volumes with prefaces and indexes, with wider societal changes taking place. This can be seen in the Journal’s shifting relationships with its audiences and competing journals. As the weekly news-sheet became increasingly outmoded, the editors of the Journal could no longer successfully manipulate its position within the London coffee-house network, launching more direct attacks on the publication trade. The Journal offers a fascinating insight into the changing culture of information in the 1730s and highlights the way in which images connected to information are used to explore cultural change, throughout recorded history.