A History of the Book in America: Volume 5: The Enduring Book: Print Culture in Postwar America

A History of the Book in America #5

by David Paul Nord, Joan Shelley Rubin (Editor), Michael Schudson (Editor)

The fifth volume of A History of the Book in America addresses the economic, social, and cultural shifts affecting print culture from World War II to the present. During this period factors such as the expansion of government, the growth of higher education, the climate of the Cold War, globalization, and the development of multimedia and digital technologies influenced the patterns of consolidation and diversification established earlier.

The thirty-three contributors to the volume explore the evolution of the publishing industry and the business of bookselling. The histories of government publishing, law and policy, the periodical press, literary criticism, and reading--in settings such as schools, libraries, book clubs, self-help programs, and collectors' societies--receive imaginative scrutiny as well. The Enduring Book demonstrates that the corporate consolidations of the last half-century have left space for the independent publisher, that multiplicity continues to define American print culture, and that even in the digital age, the book endures.

Genres: Books About Books

618 pages, Hardcover

First published July 15, 2009

Reviews

[Sara Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and entertaining, for a technical history of the publishing industry and approaches to publication via various routes.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly as well-edited and conceived as an anthology could be, with plenty to interest the general reader/publisher/librarian but also more than enough rigor to satisfy academics. I found the organization of the volume, the decisions of what to include and exclude, and the quality of writing to all be excellent. I further appreciate the balance of voices the volume brought to the table, helping to fully illuminate both the continuities and changes to the book world since WWII. It was an especially welcome change to look at book history through an historical lens that expands beyond the present "digital moment," but does not attempt to extend all the way back to the creation of print. Reading about a handful of decades brought focus and perspective to issues as broad as marketing and publishing to reading and writing. The variety of essays served as a reminder that the book, itself, means drastically different things to different communities. I hope the other volumes in this series (yes, I'm reading them backwards) are as well-done.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous resource for anyone interested in print culture, book history, or reading in postwar America.