American Literary Publishing in the Mid-nineteenth Century

Description

This is a study of some of the central questions in literary publishing in mid-nineteenth-century North America and Britain, addressed through examination of the unusually rich archive of a unique publishing firm. Boston-based Ticknor and Fields, one of the preeminent literary publishers of its time, enjoyed close links with Britain, and also developed new production, distribution and marketing skills as the settlement of North America pushed ever further west. Michael Winship has studied the firm's business records and publications in detail: he reveals what Ticknor and Fields published, its costs of production, the ways it marketed and distributed its books, and the profits it made. Winship goes on to explore the implications of the firm's work for the book trade in general, and to show how an investigation of Ticknor and Fields enriches our understanding of the literary and cultural history of North America and Britain.

First Sentence

ALTHOUGH THE NORTH AMERICAN colonies achieved political independence from Great Britain with the defeat of the British army at Yorktown in October 1781, they remained economically and culturally dependent on England for many years.

Subjects

Other Editions

• American literary publishing in the mid-nineteenth century: the business of Ticknor and FieldsCambridge University Press1995-01-01
• American Literary Publishing in the Mid-nineteenth CenturyPaperbackCambridge University Press2003-10-30