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A cabinet de lecture (in English: reading room), sometimes also called a cabinet littéraire,[1] 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" [2] 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.[1]
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.