Academic

Hoeflich on the History of the Book in the Antebellum United States

By Alfred Brophy

Mike Hoeflich's new book, Legal Publishing in Antebellum America, is now out from Cambridge.  It combines a very fine reconstruction of the market for law books in pre-Civil War America with a study of the publishing industry.  But for me the most important part is how he opens up for more investigation how books are the vehicles for the transmissions of ideas.  This is a very exciting project -- and one for which law books, with their precise citations of sources, are ideally suited.

I think even people who aren't legal historians may find this of some interest.  And for legal historians it's critical.  But it's expensive -- $90 (though you can get it for a steep discount off of list at amazon).  So I'll say this, at a minimum pass it along to your library.  They need to have a copy of it.  You can get a preview through our friends at book.google.

Full post as published by The Faculty Lounge on April 26, 2010 (boomark / email).