IASH would like to congratulate Ian Hesketh on the publication of his new book.
Victorian Jesus: J.R. Seeley, Religion, and the Cultural Significance of Anonymity
Ian Hesketh
Description
Ecce Homo: A Survey in the Life and Work of Jesus Christ, published anonymously in 1865, alarmed some readers and delighted others by its presentation of a humanitarian view of Christ and early Christian history. Victorian Jesus explores the relationship between historian J. R. Seeley and his publisher Alexander Macmillan as they sought to keep Seeley’s authorship a secret while also trying to exploit the public interest.
Ian Hesketh highlights how Ecce Homo's reception encapsulates how Victorians came to terms with rapidly changing religious views in the second half of the nineteenth century. Hesketh critically examines Seeley’s career and public image, and the publication and reception of his controversial work. Readers and commentators sought to discover the author’s identity in order to uncover the hidden meaning of the book, and this engendered a lively debate about the ethics of anonymous publishing. In Victorian Jesus, Ian Hesketh argues for the centrality of this moment in the history of anonymity in book and periodical publishing throughout the century.
Published by University of Toronto Press, 2017.
ISBN: 9781442645776
ISBN-10: 1442645776
Series: Studies in Book and Print Culture
Audience: Professional
Format: Hardcover
Language: English
Number Of Pages: 288
Published: 12th October 2017
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
Country of Publication: CA
