George Palmer Putnam : Representative American Publisher
By Ezra GreenspanGeorge Palmer Putnam (1814-1872) was arguably the most important American publisher of the nineteenth century, a man fully and multiply involved in developments transforming all aspects of literary culture. In this comprehensive cultural biography, Ezra Greenspan offers a wide-ranging account of a rich, productive life lived in print, interrelating Putnam's life with the life of his family (one of the most remarkable of its time), with the changing patterns of life in New York City and the nation, and with the institutionalization of modern print culture in nineteenth-century America.
Putnam's roles and achievements were many: he established and ran the publishing house of G. P. Putnam's in New York City; published many of the leading American antebellum writers, male and female, canonical and noncanonical (indeed, was responsible for the first act of American canonization-of Washington Irving); was the leading publisher of art books in his time and launched Putnam's Monthly; led efforts resulting in the institutionalization of the American publishing industry and was the most outspoken promoter of American authorship; led the fight in the United States for international copyright; was the first American publisher to open an overseas (London) branch office; and for a decade was the leading American agent in the international book trade.
Putnam's achievements were not limited to his professional sphere: he was also the founding Superintendent of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the official publisher to the New York World's Fair of 1853, the Commissioner of the Internal Revenue in New York City during the Civil War, and the organizer of the greatest authors-publishers dinner ever given in nineteenth-century America. Friend and confidant to many of the leading figures of his time, he was not simply a centrally placed publisher but was one of the most centrally placed people of his entire society.
This study is based on meticulous archival research into not only Putnam's own papers but into the records of his business, the papers of other family members, and the archives of persons with whom Putnam had contact through business and social networks. In a finely detailed narrative, Greenspan weaves together the story of Putnam's life and that of the development of print culture in nineteenth-century America to offer an ambitious, comprehensive biography of this "representative American publisher."
show more
Book details
- Hardcover
- 528 pages
- English
- 0271020059
- 9780271020051
About Ezra Greenspan
ezra greenspan was Read More about Ezra Greenspan
More Books By Ezra Greenspan
People who bought this also bought
The Digital Economy: Promise and Peril in the Age of Networked Intelligence
Used Book
Big Book of Little Bears: Identification and Price Guide
Used Book
Bull by the Horns : Fighting to Save Main Street from Wall Street and Wall Street from Itself
Used Book
Perfect Weight America: Change Your Diet. Change Your Life. Change Your World
Used Book
The Perricone Weight-loss Diet: A Simple 3-part Plan to Lose the Fat, the Wrinkles, and the Years
Used Book
Dangerous Prayers from the Courts of Heaven that Destroy Evil Altars: Establishing the Legal Framework for Closing Demonic Entryways and Breaking Generational Chains of Darkness
New Book
Love God, Heal Earth: 21 Leading Religious Voices Speak Out on Our Sacred Duty to Protect the Environment
Used Book
Lipstick Jihad : A Memoir of Growing Up Iranian in America and American in Iran
Used Book
Quit Your Job Often and Get Big Raises! : The Smart Approach to Making a Lot More Money at Work
Used Book
Working the Cloud : The Ultimate Guide to Making the Internet Work for You and Your Business
Used Book
Where Dreams Die Hard : A Small American Town and Its Six-man Football Team
Used Book
My Ever Dear Daughter, My Own Dear Mother: Correspondence of Julia Stone Towne and Mary Julia Towne, 1868-82
Used Book
A Twist of Faith: How Feminist Spirituality is changing the church and betraying the women it promised to heal
Used Book
Hugs for Girlfriends : Stories, Sayings, and Scriptures to Encourage and Inspire
Used Book