A cabinet de lecture (in English: reading room), sometimes also called a cabinet littéraire, was an establishment where members of the public in the 18th and 19th centuries could, in exchange for a small fee, read public papers, as well as old and new literary works. Individuals were able to hire books by the hour, making cabinets de lecture "precursors of modern libraries and an important and reliable market for books" A monthly subscription to most cabinets de lecture were also available, allowing the subscriber to pay a monthly fee and within that month withdraw as many books from the cabinet de lecture as they desired. Also known as "literary circles" or "salons," reading rooms allowed the general public not only to read the material found there, but also to take it home. The establishments complemented libraries in that they stocked the daily newspapers, periodicals, pamphlets, novels and other new publications that public libraries lacked. The ‘cabinets de lecture’ also remained open from the morning through to the evening, and so for studious members of the public they offered inexpensive shelter, warmth, light and education. The first reading rooms in Paris The number of reading rooms increased as the desire to read and study politics spread. Before the Revolution, there were only book lenders, somewhere to add books to a collection but not somewhere the public went to read. The reader had to pay a small fee as an insurance against the book which they were taking away. This cost was too expensive for most people and therefore alienated many readers. With the development of reading rooms, it became possible, for a small amount of money, to spend the whole day in a well-decorated, heated, and lit room, whilst having at your disposal the necessary books for serious study or mental development. In many reading rooms, the clientele consisted mostly of literate individuals who were unable to purchase books and periodicals on a regular basis. This clientele included professionals, teachers, skilled artisans, and small merchants. Following the French Revolution, cabinets de lecture grew hugely in popularity. As well as attending French political societies (known as clubs), those involved in politics would also visit the cabinets, where – for a small fee – they were able to read newspapers and pamphlets in small booths, or the wide array of newly published pieces of literature that were spread over the tables. Often