Category Archives: History of Publishing Observations

Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary

Sarah Ogilvie’s Words of the World: A Global History of the Oxford English Dictionary begins by describing her entry into the quiet world of the OED. She had come from of Australian branch of Oxford dictionaries, was a rare linguist … Continue reading

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History of Publishing Wrap Up , part 3

Another new deal for authors is Amazon Select and the opportunity for authors with a decent backlist (and the digital rights to their work) to manage their own sales. An engaging presence and a commitment of marketing and systematic discounts … Continue reading

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History of Publishing Wrap Up, part 2

We had a lot of discussion, in fits and starts, about the roles of authors and publishers. Consolidation in the 1980s brought things to a point where, as Molly Tinsley stressed, the large publishers were no longer invested in or … Continue reading

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History of Publishing Wrap Up

I enjoyed the history of publishing papers from the spring term and as I file them away (well, really just find a place to pile them in my needs-to-be-tidied up office) I’m thinking about some of big topics we covered … Continue reading

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The Future of Books and Reading

The presentation of the HD Reader, along with the growing significance of audiobooks–which have been around for much longer–leads us to a natural question: what is reading? Does it include these new technological steps where we listen and imagine instead … Continue reading

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Kudos to our Spring Guest Speakers

The spring term has just about come to an end and I want to take a minute to thank our terrific History of Publishing guest lecturers this term. Each of them helped us to home in on what is going … Continue reading

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Instant communication hurting artistic tendancies?

As I sit here with my V8 considering what to write about for my very first blog post (I know, the lashes should be coming any minute now for being this late), I consider what I’ve done with the last … Continue reading

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Nicholas Andelin’s interview with Dr. Warren Hedges of Southern Oregon University

Dr. Warren Hedges grew up in Springfield, Missouri, in a very conservative town (John Ashcroft is from there; Jerry Falwell went to college there; Jimmy Swaggart & Jim Baker got called back there to be defrocked). This left Warren with a … Continue reading

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How Do Fans Affect The Writing of Games’ Rulebooks?

As a recent convert to the almost-religion of tabletop gaming, I have been watching the recent development of the metagame (a term coined by the community to represent the community’s own dialogue regarding the rules and how the game company … Continue reading

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Re: The Digital Shift

Although I did not attend the “From Print to Pixels” event, I am fascinated by the influence of technology and emerging media on culture and long-held customs. A recent theme in my studies involves contemplating the possibility of reconciling global … Continue reading

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