This article discusses issues related to the reading practice of six assiduous readers coming from rural areas; emphasis is given to the analysis of private collections and the means and ways of reading. The approach derives from the results of a survey based on theoretical assumptions related to the history of reading and the propositions by historian Roger Chartier, and the concepts of the sociology of reading and culture discussed by Bernard Lahire. Through the analysis of the private collections, classified according to the spheres of social circulation, the topics of greatest interest to the readers were identified, as well as modes of reading which revealed silent and extensive reading practices.
reading habits; rural areas; sociology of reading; book collection
