Book Matters

The Changing Nature of Literacy

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism
Cover of the book Book Matters by Alan Sica, Taylor and Francis
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alan Sica ISBN: 9781351531030
Publisher: Taylor and Francis Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge Language: English
Author: Alan Sica
ISBN: 9781351531030
Publisher: Taylor and Francis
Publication: July 5, 2017
Imprint: Routledge
Language: English

Scholars have been puzzling over the "future of the book" since Marshall McLuhan's famous maxim "the medium is the message" in the early 1950s. McLuhan famously argued that electronic media was creating a global village in which books would become obsolete. Such views were ahead of their time, but today they are all too relevant as declining sales, even among classic texts, have become a serious matter in academic publishing.Does anyone still read long and complex works, either from the past or the present? Is the role of a professional reader and reviewer of manuscripts still relevant? Book Matters closely analyses these questions and others. Alan Sica surmises that the concentration span required for studying and discussing complex texts has slipped away, as undergraduate classes are becoming inundated by shorter, easier-to-teach scholarly and literary works. He considers such matters in part from the point of view of a former editor of scholarly journals. In an engaging style, he gives readers succinct analyses of books and ideas that once held the interest of millions of discerning readers, such as Simone de Beavoir's Second Sex and the works of David Graham Phillips and C. Wright Mills, among others.Book Matters is not a nostalgic cry for lost ideas, but instead a stark reminder of just how aware and analytically illuminating certain scholars were prior to the Internet, and how endangered the book is in this era of pixelated communication.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Scholars have been puzzling over the "future of the book" since Marshall McLuhan's famous maxim "the medium is the message" in the early 1950s. McLuhan famously argued that electronic media was creating a global village in which books would become obsolete. Such views were ahead of their time, but today they are all too relevant as declining sales, even among classic texts, have become a serious matter in academic publishing.Does anyone still read long and complex works, either from the past or the present? Is the role of a professional reader and reviewer of manuscripts still relevant? Book Matters closely analyses these questions and others. Alan Sica surmises that the concentration span required for studying and discussing complex texts has slipped away, as undergraduate classes are becoming inundated by shorter, easier-to-teach scholarly and literary works. He considers such matters in part from the point of view of a former editor of scholarly journals. In an engaging style, he gives readers succinct analyses of books and ideas that once held the interest of millions of discerning readers, such as Simone de Beavoir's Second Sex and the works of David Graham Phillips and C. Wright Mills, among others.Book Matters is not a nostalgic cry for lost ideas, but instead a stark reminder of just how aware and analytically illuminating certain scholars were prior to the Internet, and how endangered the book is in this era of pixelated communication.

More books from Taylor and Francis

Cover of the book Twenty Years of Studying Democratization by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Atomic Theories by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Creative Approaches to Poetry for the Primary Framework for Literacy by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Hindi: An Essential Grammar by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Translation: The Basics by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Diversity and Decomposition in the Labour Market by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Creative Approaches to Improving Participation by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Gurdjieff: The Key Concepts by Alan Sica
Cover of the book The Right of the Child to a Clean Environment by Alan Sica
Cover of the book ‘A Miracle of Learning’ by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Tourism and Sustainable Community Development by Alan Sica
Cover of the book International Conflict Management by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Public Enterprise and the Developing World by Alan Sica
Cover of the book Criminology by Alan Sica
Cover of the book The Impact of Multiple Childhood Trauma on Homeless Runaway Adolescents by Alan Sica
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy