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A Writer's History of Publishing
by Michael Castleman
From Gutenberg to Amazon, Michael Castleman's The Untold Story of Books is the first and only history of publishing told from a veteran author's point of view.
Witty, entertaining, and full of remarkable new insights, it is a deeply researched, fascinating history of the idiosyncratic book business—aimed at authors, aspiring authors, booksellers, industry professionals, and everyone who loves to read books.
Organized into three distinct book businesses, all defined by the evolution of printing, The Untold Story of Books explores how each new book business upended its predecessor, forcing authors, publishers, and booksellers to adapt to ever-changing circumstances. It's a story full of surprises: why did books become favored Christmas presents? Because of a poem written in 1823. Why is New York the nation's publishing capital? Because of the Erie Canal. Why are book endorsements called "blurbs"? Because of a satirist's joke in 1907. And why is copyright often an illusion? Because publishing was founded on book piracy, which today is easier and more rampant than ever.
Arriving at the present day, Castleman paints a compelling portrait of an evolving book business full of new promise and peril.
"Castleman presents a sweeping 600-year chronicle of the book business… a rousing account… [with] fascinating detours… Bibliophiles will be enthralled." —Publishers Weekly
"Immensely readable; will appeal to bibliophiles, fans of microhistories, and armchair sociologists." —Library Journal
"Castleman is frank, personable, and likable. He conveys his experiences as an author directly and convincingly, without sounding either preachy or aggrieved." —Larry Gonick, author of The Cartoon History of the Universe
"Authors everywhere believe that if they just write well enough, or have the right agent, or burn incense while writing, they can produce bestsellers. The Untold Story of Books splashes cold water on their faces, while presenting refreshing, important, much-needed perspectives on the evolution of present-day publishing." —Laura Fraser, author of An Italian Affair
This information about The Untold Story of Books was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Michael Castleman grew up in Malverne, NY, a Long Island suburb of New York City. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Michigan, and earned an M.A. in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, Graduate School of Journalism. He has lived in San Francisco since 1975. While editor of Medical Self-Care Magazine, Castleman was also a freelance magazine health writer focusing on optimal wellness, illness prevention, mainstream and alternative treatments, nutrition, fitness, and sexuality. He has written more than 2,500 magazine and Web articles, as well as nineteen books selling over 2.5 million copies. The Untold Story of Books: A Writer's History of Book Publishing is his twentieth.
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