Dear Mr. Cash:
 
There is a wonderful book called _Keywords: A Vocabulary of Culture &
Society_ (New York: Oxford University Press, rev. ed. 1985), by Raymond
Williams, now deceased British cultural historian. PUBLIC is a word he
explains there in full historical detail. He also takes on terms like
culture and society. I think you will find it very useful, & I think there
should be a good bibliography too. Hope you find it useful, and since it's
British, it would probably be especially appropriate for your purposes.
 
Wendy Botting
Curator, Visual Resources
College of Architecture, Art & Planning
Cornell University