This area also witnessed the deepening of commercialization no later than the middle of the fifteenth century. The debate over whether commercialization actually benefited the population in the area is yet to be settled. This study will show from the perspective of consumption that peasants were better off than they would have otherwise been. Santa Barbara Recent studies show that Fujian printing firms sustained themselves by printing for profit from the Northern Song through the Ming dynasty. However, late-Ming books reflect the impact of commercialization in changing the content, presentation and readership of publications.
Printers emphasize the value of books as a time-saver and a necessity for the conduct of daily life.
What interests me in particular is precisely the construction of a readership that cuts across boundaries of social class and literacy, which strikes me as characteristic of a print culture in which firms encouraged new readers to rely on print. This was a printer's strategy, a fiction that buying books was essential for individual expression and fulfillment. Yet it accords with other evidence of expanding literacy in the period. Late-Ming books reflect the increasing textualization of social intercourse and changes in readership. This paper examines household encyclopedias, miscellanies, and epistolary guides from the 14th to 17th centuries, considering the changing contents, format, and intended readerships of such works and what role commercialization played in that change.