Socialism and print culture in America, 1897-1920 / by Jason D. Martinek.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Martinek, Jason D.

Series:

History of the book (London, England) ; no. 11.

The history of the book ; no. 11

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Books and reading--Political aspects--United States--History--20th century.

Books and reading.

Literacy--Political aspects--United States--History--20th century.

Literacy.

Socialism--United States--History--20th century.

Socialism.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xi, 202 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

London ; Brookfield,Vt. : Pickering & Chatto, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

For socialists at the turn of the last century, reading was a radical act. This interdisciplinary study looks at how American socialists used literacy in the struggle against capitalism. The early presidential campaigns of Eugene V Debs - leader of the Socialist Party - produced a concerted effort to develop a socialist literature specifically for an American readership. There followed a rapid growth in printed material which helped the movement in its rise to prominence, however, Martinek contends that this over-reliance on the printed word was also to be instrumental in its subsequent downfall.

Contents:

Introduction : "Workers of the world, read!"

"The workingman's bible" and the making of American socialism

Charles H. Kerr & Company and the Americanization of Marxian socialism

Activist readers and American socialists' print culture of dissent

How the Socialist Party created a print culture of dissent without a party-owned press

Information management and the Socialist Party's Information Department and Research Bureau

Annotations on the failure of socialism in America

Conclusion : What a book cannot do.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 02 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references (p. 179-189) and index.

ISBN:

1-315-65500-4

1-317-32076-X

1-317-32077-8

1-283-85037-0

1-84893-335-5

9781315655000

OCLC:

818815316