| What a Book Can Do: The Publication and Reception of Silent Spring Contributor(s): Murphy, Priscilla Coit (Author) |
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ISBN: 1558495827 ISBN-13: 9781558495821 Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Binding Type: Paperback - See All Available Formats & Editions Published: April 2007 Annotation: In 1962 the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sparked widespread public debate on the hazards of pesticide abuse for humans and their environment. Within a year, the controversy had spread throughout print and broadcast media. Despite its preliminary appearance in a magazine, Silent Spring reached the full media system and made its lasting impression in the form of a book. With clarity and precision, Priscilla Coit Murphy explores how a newsmaking book enabled a single voice of warning to gain the attention of the entire country, and beyond. Murphy's exploration follows the story of the book and the controversy, beginning with the author's mission and the response of her publishers, Houghton Mifflin and the New Yorker. Focus then turns to Carson's opponents and their counter-campaign, including their efforts to undermine, delay, or stop publication altogether. Moving next to the media, Murphy describes how, beyond providing a forum for the debate, they became active participants in it. Finally, she examines the general public's perceptions and expectations regarding the book, the debate, and the media. Shedding new light on the dynamic between newsmaking books, the media, and the public, Murphy raises a host of broader questions about the place of dissenting books in American culture, past, present, and future. Click for more in this series: Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book (Paperback) |
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| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Criticism | Books & Reading - Nature | Environmental Conservation & Protection - General - Business & Economics | Development - Sustainable Development |
| Dewey: 333.720 |
| Age Level: 22-UP |
| Grade Level: 17-UP |
| Series: Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.71" H x 6.8" W x 8.96" L (1.00 lbs) 272 pages |
| Themes: - Topical - Ecology - Chronological Period - 1950-1999 |
| Features: Bibliography, Illustrated, Index, Table of Contents |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In 1962 the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring sparked widespread public debate on the issue of pesticide abuse and environmental degradation. The discussion permeated the entire print and electronic media system of mid-twentieth century America. Although Carson's text was serialized in the New Yorker, it made a significant difference that it was also published as a book. With clarity and precision, Priscilla Coit Murphy explores the importance of the book form for the author, her editors and publishers, her detractors, the media, and the public at large. Murphy reviews the publishing history of the Houghton Mifflin edition and the prior New Yorker serialization, describing Carson's approach to her project as well as the views and expectations of her editors. She also documents the response of opponents to Carson's message, notably the powerful chemical industry, including efforts to undermine, delay, or stop publication altogether. Murphy then investigates the media's role, showing that it went well beyond providing a forum for debate. In addition, she analyzes the perceptions and expectations of the public at large regarding the book, the debate, and the media. By probing all of these perspectives, Murphy sheds new light on the dynamic between newsmaking books, the media, and the public. In the process, she addresses a host of broader questions about the place of books in American culture, past, present, and future. |
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