Literary Publishing in America, 1790-1850

by William Charvat, Michael Winship (Photographer)

Available for the first time in paperback, this book is a succinct distillation of the work and thought of William Charvat, a pioneer in the study of the history of the American book. This burgeoning field of inquiry investigates the social and cultural context of the act of literary creation by relating it to the modes of its production and distribution. This new edition of Literary Publishing in America contains an afterword by Michael Winship that discusses scholarship in the field since publication of Charvat's groundbreaking work.

104 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1959

Reviews

[Richard Subber · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Charvat offers, probably, more appealing detail than you ever imagined about American novels, short stories, and poems around the turn of the 19th century.
Writing was then, as it is now, a tough business for writers and publishers. Literary Publishing in America confirms that most writers didn’t get rich, and more than a few publishers managed to turn a really good buck.
In America, the market-expanding extension of railroads westward from the east coast had a lot to do with publishing success and the evolution of American reading taste.
Hint: the inland readers largely went for the romance-based novels, trashy and otherwise.
Hint: poetry has always been a tough slog for poets—ain’t much money in it.
Hint: history, and a historical context, were significantly important in the formation of the reading public’s taste for fiction.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

As usual, Charvat is clear, concise, and accessible. A good place to start when researching publishing in the U.S. during this period; it's important to remember that, as Michael Winship notes, "literature is a human institution, part of a matrix of social and cultural forces from which it emerges" (someting that we who study children's lit always have in mind). Literature emerges from the culture around it, and also the expectations of publishers.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick, really well done overview of some details about publishing.