"Godoi's brilliant socio-cultural biography of the printer Paula Brito in Imperial Brazil illustrates why the history of the book and of reading are among the strongest fields of research in Brazilian history today. Through Godoi's meticulous research and elegant storytelling, we discover how in a slave society a black publisher became a central, highly influential figure in political and intellectual life by skillfully negotiating the contradictions of his status with the empire's most powerful elites. This story is bigger than that of one man. Through this insightful study of Brito's life, we discover new, critical aspects of nineteenth-century Brazil, from independence and abolition to the birth of the modern nation. This book is life history at its best."
—Jean Hébrard, co-author of Freedom Papers: An Atlantic Odyssey in the Age of Emancipation— -
"Paula Brito, a man of African descent, became the most important nineteenth-century Brazilian publisher. Rodrigo Godoi offers a detailed study of his trajectory, social relations, business practices, and cultural influence. This book is a major contribution to the history of the book and of the publishing industry."
—Sidney Chalhoub, author of A força da escravidão: ilegalidade e costume no Brasil oitocentista— -
"Impressive portrait of a free man of color of African descent, who published twenty-eight newspapers and Brazilian novels, plays, and poetry in nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro. This essential biography recreates the lives of free people of color in a slave society and documents the development of print and book culture in Brazil."
—Mary C. Karasch, author of Slave Life in Rio de Janeiro, 1808–1850— -