Introduction to Contemporary Print Culture : Books As Media.

Cover -- Half Title -- Book Title -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Figures -- Introduction: What is 'print culture'? -- Print culture studies' relationship to literary studies and media/communication studies -- The text/object distinction -- Harry Potter case-study -- Key issues in print culture studies -- Status of the book medium -- Materialisation/dematerialisation of book culture -- Changes to the book's life cycle -- Potential book futures -- Structure of this book -- Learning exercise -- Note -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- Part I Theories and methodologies for understanding print -- 1. Medium theory -- Defining 'medium theory' -- What is the medium of 'the book'? -- Effects of the book medium -- On writing and reading -- On society and culture -- On human consciousness -- Emergence and characteristics of medium theory -- Eurocentrism of medium theory? -- Conclusion: digital books' challenge to medium theory -- Learning exercise -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 2. Book history -- What is book history? -- Book history's disciplinary origins: revolt and synthesis -- History -- Literary studies -- Bibliography -- Book history models -- Key book history principles -- Drawbacks of book history -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 3. Political economy -- Characteristics of political economy -- Book publishing stakeholders -- Structure of global book publishing -- How did this happen? -- Publishing's problematic economics -- Multinationals versus independents -- Book publishing as a media industry -- Implications of media convergence for books -- Pros and cons of the political economy approach -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 4. Cultural policy.

How should the arts be funded? -- The fractured state of cultural policy about books -- Key levels of bookish cultural policymaking -- Local government initiatives -- State/provincial programmes -- The national frame -- 'International' cultural policy -- Conclusion: shortcomings of the creative industries approach -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- Part II Socio-cultural dimensions of books -- 5. Independent and alternative publishing -- Publishing and the 'marketplace of ideas' -- Ensuring diversity in the publishing ecosystem -- 'An ethos rather than a profit motive'5 - non-conglomerate publishing models -- Key challenges for small and micro publishers -- Zines: the independent's independent publishing -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 6. Editing -- Was Raymond Carver actually 'Carveresque'? -- Varieties of editorial roles -- The historical ideal of the editor -- Editors' contemporary reality -- The author-editor relationship -- Literary agents -- Editing as a socio-political act -- Contextual factors affecting editing -- Language and expression -- 'Updating' classic works -- Conclusion -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 7. Adaptation: Books beyond their covers -- Dissociation of book content from the codex format -- Adaptation studies: traditional and new approaches -- The rights-trading economy -- 'Reverse' book/screen adaptation -- Audiobooks - a.k.a. 'talking books' -- Conclusion: fan adaptations -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 8. Book retailing -- Key phases in twentieth-century book retailing -- Book Wars I: independent bookshops versus chain superstores -- Independent bookshops -- Chain superstores -- The independents fight back.

Book Wars II: physical versus online retailing -- Conclusion -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 9. Cultures of reading -- How to document the history of reading? -- Sources for a history of reading -- Reading as a contextually specific practice -- The significance of 'interpretive communities' -- Resistant reading practices -- Contemporary reading cultures -- Book clubs (US)/reading groups (UK) -- Mediated book clubs -- Writers' festivals -- Mass reading events -- Reasons for the public resurgence of reading -- Digital reading -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 10. Libraries and archives -- Types of libraries -- Private libraries -- Public libraries -- Academic libraries -- Libraries and epistemology -- Politics of library classification systems -- Library digitisation debates -- Conclusion: contemporary libraries -- Learning exercises -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- Part III Book futures -- 11. Digital books -- The 'future of the book' debate: four main positions -- Technophorics -- Book defenders -- Biblio-optimists -- Ambivalents -- Are publishers redundant? -- Publishers as rights archives -- Varieties of eBook innovation -- Digital-analogue book hybrids -- Blooks -- Mobile-phone novels -- Wikinovels, literary mash-ups and fanfiction -- Instapoets -- Conclusion -- Learning exercise -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- 12. The dream of a universal library: Digitising knowledge -- The Great Library at Alexandria -- National copyright deposit libraries -- Library card-cataloguing systems -- Electronic catalogues -- The politics of book digitisation: Google Book Search -- The Battle over Books -- Public-sector digital library initiatives -- Bibliotheca Alexandrina.

Conclusion: the universal library as mirage -- Learning exercise -- Notes -- Online resources -- References and further reading -- Index.

This book examines the role of the book in the modern world. It considers the book's deeply intertwined relationships with other media through ownership, copyright and adaptation, the constantly shifting roles of authors, publishers and readers in the digital ecosystem, and the merging of print and digital technologies.

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Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, 2024. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries.