A History of the Book in America

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.Contributors:David Abrahamson, Northwestern UniversityJames L. Baughman, University of Wisconsin-MadisonKenneth Cmiel (d. 2006)James Danky, University of Wisconsin-MadisonRobert DeMaria Jr., Vassar CollegeDonald A. Downs, University of Wisconsin-MadisonRobert W. Frase (d. 2003)Paul C. Gutjahr, Indiana UniversityDavid D. Hall, Harvard Divinity SchoolJohn B. Hench, American Antiquarian SocietyPatrick Henry, New York City College of TechnologyDan Lacy (d. 2001)Marshall Leaffer, Indiana UniversityBruce Lewenstein, Cornell UniversityElizabeth Long, Rice UniversityBeth Luey, Arizona State UniversityTom McCarthy, Beirut, LebanonLaura J. Miller, Brandeis UniversityPriscilla Coit Murphy, Chapel Hill, N.C.David Paul Nord, Indiana UniversityCarol Polsgrove, Indiana UniversityDavid Reinking, Clemson UniversityJane Rhodes, Macalester CollegeJohn V. Richardson Jr., University of California, Los AngelesJoan Shelley Rubin, University of RochesterMichael Schudson, University of California, San Diego, and Columbia UniversityLinda Scott, University of OxfordDan Simon, Seven Stories PressIlan Stavans, Amherst CollegeHarvey M. Teres, Syracuse UniversityJohn B. Thompson, University of CambridgeTrysh Travis, University of FloridaJonathan Zimmerman, New York University