Books: The Culture & Commerce of Publishing

by Lewis A. Coser, Charles Kadushin, Walter W. Powell

First edition. Divided into three major sections; The History and Structure of the Industry, The People Who Make Books and Key Outsiders in the Book Trade. Covers spotted. xiii, 411 pages. cloth.. 8vo..

411 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

Reviews

[Cat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives excellent all-round look at publishing industry in America in the early 1980s. Covers publishing houses, editorial role, agents, authors, external influences like reviewers and booksellers and more. In the introduction there's some talk about gatekeeping which is implicitly investigated but I couldn't find a section that looks at this in great detail. Very interesting stuff about how personal connections are the best way to get published (wonder how much this has changed!). Otherwise seems to do everything that the authors set out to achieve.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

For readers, history buff, and enthusiasts of what is known as Book Culture, this is a must-read. I wouldn't suggest tackling it in a single setting, as it's pretty dense, but over the course of several weeks (i.e., in manageable installments), this is a manageable--and interesting--read.