1st Edition

The History of the Book in the West: 1914–2000 Volume V

Edited By Alexis Weedon Copyright 2010

    This collection brings together published papers on key themes which book historians have identified as of particular significance in the history of twentieth-century publishing. It reprints some of the best comparative perspectives and most insightful and innovatively presented scholarship on publishing and book history from such figures as Philip Altbach, Lewis Coser, James Curran, Elizabeth Long, Laura Miller, Angus Phillips, Janice Radway, Jonathan Rose, Shafquat Towheed, Catherine Turner, Jay Satterfield, Clare Squires, Eva Hemmungs Wirtén. It is arranged into six sections which examine the internationalisation of publishing businesses, changing notions of authorship, innovation in the design and marketing of books, the specific effects of globalisation on creative property and the book in a multimedia marketplace. Twentieth-century book history attracts an audience beyond the traditional disciplines of librarianship, bibliography, history and literary studies. It will appeal to publishing educators, editors, publishers, booksellers, as well as academics with an interest in media and popular culture.

    Contents: Introduction; Part I Issues of Cultural Impact: The subtle inequalities of copyright, Philip G. Altbach; Publishing worlds: sectors within the industry, Lewis A. Coser; The cultural meaning of concentration in publishing, Elizabeth Long; From art to corporation: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., and the cultural effects of merger, Linda E. Connors, Sara Lynn Henry and Jonathan W. Reader; The impact of television on the audience for national newspapers 1945-68, James Curran. Part II Literary Property: Geneva v. Saint Petersburg: 2 concepts of literary property and material lives of books in Under Western Eyes, Shafquat Towheed; Building a career: Joseph Conrad and Pinker, Mary Ann Gillies; 'Trust me. I'm an agent': the ever changing balance between author, agent and publisher, Eric de Bellaigue; Inventing F. David: author(ing) translation, Eva Hemmungs Wirtén. Part III War, Censorship and Post-Colonialism: The impact of war: British publishers and French publications 1940-1944, Valerie Holman; Censors and their readers: selling, silencing and reading Czech books, Jirina Å mejkalová; The politics of postcolonial publishing: Oxford University Press's 3 Crowns series 1962-76, Caroline Davis; Prizing otherness: a short history of the Booker, Graham Huggan. Part IV Marketing and Reading: Marx, Jane Eyre, Tarzan: miners' libraries in South Wales 1923-52, Jonathan Rose; Books and reading in the age of mass production: the Book of the Month Club, Janice Radway; Maintaining highbrow standards: B.W. Huebsch opens the door to modern literature, Catherine Turner; Crossovers, Claire Squires. Part V Bookselling and Design: Designing the bookstore for the standardized consumer, Laura J. Miller; Designing John Hersey's The Wall: W.A. Dwiggins, George Salter and the challenges of American Holocaust memory, Robert Franciosi; Packaging the world's best books, Jay Satterfield. Part VI The Digital Book: Are we already beyond the book?, George P. Landow; Where is the value in pub

    Biography

    Alexis Weedon is Professor and Director of the Research Institute for Media Art and Design, University of Bedfordshire, UK