A world of letters : Yale University Press, 1908-2008 / Nicholas A. Basbanes.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Basbanes, Nicholas A., 1943-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Yale University Press--History.

Yale University Press.

University presses--Connecticut--New Haven--History--20th century.

University presses.

Scholarly publishing--Connecticut--New Haven--History--20th century.

Scholarly publishing.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (224 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

New Haven : Yale University Press, c2008.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For Yale University Press, which celebrates its hundredth birthday in 2008, the century has been an eventful one, punctuated with no few surprises. The Press has published more than 8,000 volumes through the years, scores of bestsellers and award-winners among them, and these books have come to fruition through the efforts of a host of colorful authors, editors, directors, board members, and others of intellectual and literary renown. With an ear always cocked for an interesting tale, one of today's best storytellers presents an anecdote-rich chronicle of the Press's first 100 years. Nicholas Basbanes, whom David McCullough has called "the leading authority of books about books," quickly convinces us that the Press's history, while bookish, is also lively and fascinating. Basbanes explores the saga behind the acquisition of Eugene O'Neill's blockbuster play, the all-time Yale bestseller Long Day's Journey into Night; the controversy sparked in 1965 by publication of The Vinland Map; the origins of the groundbreaking Annals of Communism series, initiated in the wake of the Soviet Union's demise; and many more highlights from Press annals. Basbanes looks at the reasons behind the publisher's remarkable financial success, and he completes A World of Letters with a glimpse at the new initiatives that will propel the Press into a second exciting century.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Preface

ONE The Formative Decades

TWO The Middle Years

THREE Enriching the Mix

FOUR A Press in Transition

Notes

Centennial Highlights

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

1-282-35223-7

9786612352232

0-300-14272-2

OCLC:

593239845