E. H. H. GREEN
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198205937
- eISBN:
- 9780191717116
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205937.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This chapter examines the genesis and development of the Conservative book clubs, namely the Right Book Club, championed by Christina Foyle of the booksellers W & G Foyle, and the National Book ...
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This chapter examines the genesis and development of the Conservative book clubs, namely the Right Book Club, championed by Christina Foyle of the booksellers W & G Foyle, and the National Book Association promoted by Arthur Bryant, head of the Education department at Ashridge College. The chapter shows how these organisations were part of a Conservative attempt to counter what was seen as a Leftist dominance of the world of letters.Less
This chapter examines the genesis and development of the Conservative book clubs, namely the Right Book Club, championed by Christina Foyle of the booksellers W & G Foyle, and the National Book Association promoted by Arthur Bryant, head of the Education department at Ashridge College. The chapter shows how these organisations were part of a Conservative attempt to counter what was seen as a Leftist dominance of the world of letters.
E. H. H. Green
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198205937
- eISBN:
- 9780191717116
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205937.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This book investigates developments and changes in the nature of Conservative political thought and the meaning of Conservatism throughout the 20th century. Starting from the Edwardian crisis under ...
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This book investigates developments and changes in the nature of Conservative political thought and the meaning of Conservatism throughout the 20th century. Starting from the Edwardian crisis under Arthur Balfour, the study explores the Conservative mind through a series of chapters that examine how Conservative thinkers, politicians, and activists sought to define the problems they faced, what they thought they were arguing against, and what audiences they were seeking to reach. Topics covered include the influence of the English Idealists, the ideas of Arthur Steel-Maitland, the ending of the 1922 coalition with the Lloyd George Liberals, Conservative Book Clubs, the political economy of Harold Macmillan, the resignation of the Conservative Treasury team under Peter Thorneycroft in 1958, the ideological origins of the Thatcherite revolution under Margaret Thatcher, and Conservative ideas on the role of the State and civil society. It concludes that Conservatism, as articulated throughout the 20th century, can be clearly defined and recognises Thatcherism as a significant departure from previous 20th-century Conservative thought.Less
This book investigates developments and changes in the nature of Conservative political thought and the meaning of Conservatism throughout the 20th century. Starting from the Edwardian crisis under Arthur Balfour, the study explores the Conservative mind through a series of chapters that examine how Conservative thinkers, politicians, and activists sought to define the problems they faced, what they thought they were arguing against, and what audiences they were seeking to reach. Topics covered include the influence of the English Idealists, the ideas of Arthur Steel-Maitland, the ending of the 1922 coalition with the Lloyd George Liberals, Conservative Book Clubs, the political economy of Harold Macmillan, the resignation of the Conservative Treasury team under Peter Thorneycroft in 1958, the ideological origins of the Thatcherite revolution under Margaret Thatcher, and Conservative ideas on the role of the State and civil society. It concludes that Conservatism, as articulated throughout the 20th century, can be clearly defined and recognises Thatcherism as a significant departure from previous 20th-century Conservative thought.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195367126
- eISBN:
- 9780199867356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367126.003.0009
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
Chapter 9 looks at the advertising and cultural positioning of mail‐order book culture, focusing on the Harvard Classics and the Book‐of‐the Month Club.
Chapter 9 looks at the advertising and cultural positioning of mail‐order book culture, focusing on the Harvard Classics and the Book‐of‐the Month Club.
Edwin L. Battistella
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195367126
- eISBN:
- 9780199867356
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367126.001.0001
- Subject:
- Linguistics, English Language
In the early 1900s, the language of America was becoming colloquial English — the language of the businessman, manager, and professional. Since college and high school education were far from ...
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In the early 1900s, the language of America was becoming colloquial English — the language of the businessman, manager, and professional. Since college and high school education were far from universal, many people turned to correspondence education — that era's distance learning — to learn the art of speaking and writing. By the 1920s and 1930s, thousands were ordering Sherwin Cody's 100% Self‐correcting Course in the English Language, a patented mail‐order course in English that was taken by over 150,000 people. This book tells the story of Sherwin Cody and his famous English course, situating both the man and the course in early 20th century cultural history. The book recounts how Cody became a businessman — a writer, grammatical entrepreneur, and mass‐marketer whose ads proclaimed “Good Money in Good English” and asked “Is Good English Worth 25 Cents to You?” and “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” Sherwin Cody's home‐study approach was perhaps the most widely‐advertised English education program in history, and it provides a unique window into popular views of language and culture and their connection to ideas of success. Cody's work was also part of a larger shift of attitudes about self‐improvement and success. Using Cody's course as a reference point, this book examines the self‐improvement ethic reflected in such products as the Harvard Classics, The Book of Etiquette, the Book‐of‐the‐Month Club, the U.S. School of Music, and the Charles Atlas and Dale Carnegie courses to illustrate how culture became popular and how self‐reliance evolved into self‐improvement.Less
In the early 1900s, the language of America was becoming colloquial English — the language of the businessman, manager, and professional. Since college and high school education were far from universal, many people turned to correspondence education — that era's distance learning — to learn the art of speaking and writing. By the 1920s and 1930s, thousands were ordering Sherwin Cody's 100% Self‐correcting Course in the English Language, a patented mail‐order course in English that was taken by over 150,000 people. This book tells the story of Sherwin Cody and his famous English course, situating both the man and the course in early 20th century cultural history. The book recounts how Cody became a businessman — a writer, grammatical entrepreneur, and mass‐marketer whose ads proclaimed “Good Money in Good English” and asked “Is Good English Worth 25 Cents to You?” and “Do You Make These Mistakes in English?” Sherwin Cody's home‐study approach was perhaps the most widely‐advertised English education program in history, and it provides a unique window into popular views of language and culture and their connection to ideas of success. Cody's work was also part of a larger shift of attitudes about self‐improvement and success. Using Cody's course as a reference point, this book examines the self‐improvement ethic reflected in such products as the Harvard Classics, The Book of Etiquette, the Book‐of‐the‐Month Club, the U.S. School of Music, and the Charles Atlas and Dale Carnegie courses to illustrate how culture became popular and how self‐reliance evolved into self‐improvement.
Suzanne Keen
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195175769
- eISBN:
- 9780199851232
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195175769.003.0004
- Subject:
- Literature, 19th-century and Victorian Literature
This chapter examines the impact of empathy on the saleability or the market performance of novels. It argues that novels inviting empathy do better in the marketplace and that empathetic reading ...
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This chapter examines the impact of empathy on the saleability or the market performance of novels. It argues that novels inviting empathy do better in the marketplace and that empathetic reading habits make up a core element of middlebrow readers' self-image. It analyzes whether novel reading extends the empathetic circle and discusses the market influence of Oprah's Book Club. It contends that readers' behavior or reactions to novels can be attributed to the opinions and teaching of literature professors.Less
This chapter examines the impact of empathy on the saleability or the market performance of novels. It argues that novels inviting empathy do better in the marketplace and that empathetic reading habits make up a core element of middlebrow readers' self-image. It analyzes whether novel reading extends the empathetic circle and discusses the market influence of Oprah's Book Club. It contends that readers' behavior or reactions to novels can be attributed to the opinions and teaching of literature professors.
E. H. H. GREEN
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780198205937
- eISBN:
- 9780191717116
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198205937.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Political History
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the purpose of this book, which is to explore aspects of the ideas, values, arguments, and beliefs that have informed Conservative thought in the ...
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This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the purpose of this book, which is to explore aspects of the ideas, values, arguments, and beliefs that have informed Conservative thought in the 20th century. Conservative ideological debate is sampled and discussed at a number of key points in the party's history. The chapters cover the political economy of Arthur Balfour, English idealist thought, the ideas of Arthur Steel-Maitland, the end of the coalition with the Liberals in 1922, Conservative Book Clubs of the 1930s, the political economy of Harold Macmillan, the resignation of the Conservative Treasury team in 1958, the ideological origins of the Thatcherite revolution and finally, Conservative ideas concerning the role of the State in relation to social and economic policy during the 20th century.Less
This introductory chapter begins with a discussion of the purpose of this book, which is to explore aspects of the ideas, values, arguments, and beliefs that have informed Conservative thought in the 20th century. Conservative ideological debate is sampled and discussed at a number of key points in the party's history. The chapters cover the political economy of Arthur Balfour, English idealist thought, the ideas of Arthur Steel-Maitland, the end of the coalition with the Liberals in 1922, Conservative Book Clubs of the 1930s, the political economy of Harold Macmillan, the resignation of the Conservative Treasury team in 1958, the ideological origins of the Thatcherite revolution and finally, Conservative ideas concerning the role of the State in relation to social and economic policy during the 20th century.
Erin A. Smith
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781469621326
- eISBN:
- 9781469621340
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469621326.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religious Studies
This chapter discusses efforts to better market religious books to a general audience in the 1920s, including the industry-wide “Religious Book Week” promotional campaign organized in 1921 and the ...
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This chapter discusses efforts to better market religious books to a general audience in the 1920s, including the industry-wide “Religious Book Week” promotional campaign organized in 1921 and the founding of the mail-order Religious Book Club in 1927. It examines “religious renaissance” in American book publishing during the period by focusing on the newsletters of the Religious Book Club, a decade's worth of book advertising and editorial coverage related to religion in Publishers Weekly, and scholarship on middlebrow institutions making high culture available to a mass audience. It explains how faith, commerce, and consumerism interacted to shape what counted as a “religious” book and what kinds of faith were widely promoted. Finally, it explores how book marketing initiatives gave rise to a nonsectarian, mass-marketable religion that reframed theological controversies as matters of consumer choice.Less
This chapter discusses efforts to better market religious books to a general audience in the 1920s, including the industry-wide “Religious Book Week” promotional campaign organized in 1921 and the founding of the mail-order Religious Book Club in 1927. It examines “religious renaissance” in American book publishing during the period by focusing on the newsletters of the Religious Book Club, a decade's worth of book advertising and editorial coverage related to religion in Publishers Weekly, and scholarship on middlebrow institutions making high culture available to a mass audience. It explains how faith, commerce, and consumerism interacted to shape what counted as a “religious” book and what kinds of faith were widely promoted. Finally, it explores how book marketing initiatives gave rise to a nonsectarian, mass-marketable religion that reframed theological controversies as matters of consumer choice.
Matheus Cardoso-da-Silva
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- May 2022
- ISBN:
- 9781526144300
- eISBN:
- 9781526166692
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7765/9781526144317.00017
- Subject:
- History, Social History
Focusing on the histories of the New Era Fellowship (founded in South Africa in 1937), the Current Affairs Group (founded in Southern Rhodesia in 1938) and the Left Book Club in Jamaica (founded in ...
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Focusing on the histories of the New Era Fellowship (founded in South Africa in 1937), the Current Affairs Group (founded in Southern Rhodesia in 1938) and the Left Book Club in Jamaica (founded in Jamaica in 1938), this chapter maps a triangular network of circulation of socialist ideas created between the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. In particular, it looks at the transnational activities of London’s Left Book Club (LBC) between 1935 and 1947, when it founded more than fifteen groups around the globe, which distributed the material produced by the LBC. In addition to functioning as centres for the diffusion of Marxist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial ideas, largely forming local nationalisms, those circles acted as centres of congregation and education. The Current Affairs Group, for example, was founded under influence of Victor Gollancz to support the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. Along with the South African Communist newspaper the Guardian,the Current Affairs Group was responsible for disseminating socialist ideas among the black segregated population. The chapter argues that transnational networks sewn by the LBC, which connected those groups, favoured the creation of a global circuit which helped non-European intellectuals to act as carriers of anti-colonial, anti-imperial, anti-racist and nationalist ideas.Less
Focusing on the histories of the New Era Fellowship (founded in South Africa in 1937), the Current Affairs Group (founded in Southern Rhodesia in 1938) and the Left Book Club in Jamaica (founded in Jamaica in 1938), this chapter maps a triangular network of circulation of socialist ideas created between the Caribbean, Africa and Europe. In particular, it looks at the transnational activities of London’s Left Book Club (LBC) between 1935 and 1947, when it founded more than fifteen groups around the globe, which distributed the material produced by the LBC. In addition to functioning as centres for the diffusion of Marxist, anti-imperialist and anti-colonial ideas, largely forming local nationalisms, those circles acted as centres of congregation and education. The Current Affairs Group, for example, was founded under influence of Victor Gollancz to support the Republican cause in the Spanish Civil War. Along with the South African Communist newspaper the Guardian,the Current Affairs Group was responsible for disseminating socialist ideas among the black segregated population. The chapter argues that transnational networks sewn by the LBC, which connected those groups, favoured the creation of a global circuit which helped non-European intellectuals to act as carriers of anti-colonial, anti-imperial, anti-racist and nationalist ideas.
Clarisse Berthezène
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- January 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780719086496
- eISBN:
- 9781781708941
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Manchester University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7228/manchester/9780719086496.003.0011
- Subject:
- Political Science, Conflict Politics and Policy
In the interwar years the political education institutions the Conservatives created, the Philip Stott College and the Bonar Law Memorial College, Ashridge were designed to attract a large student ...
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In the interwar years the political education institutions the Conservatives created, the Philip Stott College and the Bonar Law Memorial College, Ashridge were designed to attract a large student body drawn from both the middle and wage-earning classes. But the students themselves were also seen as trainee ‘missionaries’ who would return to their localities and teach as they had been taught. This was particularly the case with Ashridge where the creation of ‘Ashridge Circles’ across the country meant that the College was engaged in extensive extra-mural work, and that its pedagogic reach extended far beyond its immediate student clientele. Likewise, the Ashridge hierarchy played a key role in creating the book club, the National Book Association, which was set up to combat the influence of Gollancz’s Left Book Club and to engage in a ‘battle of the books’ to end the Left’s dominance of one area of Britain’s political culture. This section examines the diffusion of the Conservative creed through the use that was made of literary, cinematic, radio and other means of broadcasting.Less
In the interwar years the political education institutions the Conservatives created, the Philip Stott College and the Bonar Law Memorial College, Ashridge were designed to attract a large student body drawn from both the middle and wage-earning classes. But the students themselves were also seen as trainee ‘missionaries’ who would return to their localities and teach as they had been taught. This was particularly the case with Ashridge where the creation of ‘Ashridge Circles’ across the country meant that the College was engaged in extensive extra-mural work, and that its pedagogic reach extended far beyond its immediate student clientele. Likewise, the Ashridge hierarchy played a key role in creating the book club, the National Book Association, which was set up to combat the influence of Gollancz’s Left Book Club and to engage in a ‘battle of the books’ to end the Left’s dominance of one area of Britain’s political culture. This section examines the diffusion of the Conservative creed through the use that was made of literary, cinematic, radio and other means of broadcasting.
Daniel M.G. Raff
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198787761
- eISBN:
- 9780191829857
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198787761.003.0002
- Subject:
- Business and Management, Organization Studies
In 1926, two entrepreneurially minded direct-mail advertising copywriters and a largely silent partner prepared test-marketing materials for a postal subscription service for recently published ...
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In 1926, two entrepreneurially minded direct-mail advertising copywriters and a largely silent partner prepared test-marketing materials for a postal subscription service for recently published books. The scheme would be able to address customers in areas badly underserved by the existing channels of distribution as well as those in areas already well served. From an operational perspective, the business as it emerged was novel relative to then-standard practices in almost every respect. It was in terms of both sales and profitability wildly successful more or less from the start. Indeed, the initial scale of its success threatened to overwhelm the nascent venture. This chapter considers the company as a start-up. It explores how order, in the form of organizational routines, came to the company and how valuable that proved to be.Less
In 1926, two entrepreneurially minded direct-mail advertising copywriters and a largely silent partner prepared test-marketing materials for a postal subscription service for recently published books. The scheme would be able to address customers in areas badly underserved by the existing channels of distribution as well as those in areas already well served. From an operational perspective, the business as it emerged was novel relative to then-standard practices in almost every respect. It was in terms of both sales and profitability wildly successful more or less from the start. Indeed, the initial scale of its success threatened to overwhelm the nascent venture. This chapter considers the company as a start-up. It explores how order, in the form of organizational routines, came to the company and how valuable that proved to be.
Aneeka Ayanna Henderson
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- May 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781469651767
- eISBN:
- 9781469651781
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469651767.003.0007
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
This chapter concludes the book with an exploration of how African American book clubs and reading communities, gender reveal ceremonies, prom proposals or promposals, child marriage, reality ...
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This chapter concludes the book with an exploration of how African American book clubs and reading communities, gender reveal ceremonies, prom proposals or promposals, child marriage, reality television, Jagged Edge, and Steve Harvey will shape future representations of African American marriage and Black love in Black cultural production.Less
This chapter concludes the book with an exploration of how African American book clubs and reading communities, gender reveal ceremonies, prom proposals or promposals, child marriage, reality television, Jagged Edge, and Steve Harvey will shape future representations of African American marriage and Black love in Black cultural production.
Trystan T. Cotten and Kimberly Springer (eds)
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- March 2014
- ISBN:
- 9781604734072
- eISBN:
- 9781604734089
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781604734072.001.0001
- Subject:
- Film, Television and Radio, Television
This is a collection of essays that explores Oprah Winfrey’s broad reach as an industry and media brand. Contributors analyze a number of topics touching on the ways in which Oprah’s cultural output ...
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This is a collection of essays that explores Oprah Winfrey’s broad reach as an industry and media brand. Contributors analyze a number of topics touching on the ways in which Oprah’s cultural output shapes contemporary America. The book examines how Oprah has fashioned a persona—which emphasizes her rural, poverty-stricken roots over other factors—that helps her popularize her unique blend of New Age spirituality, neoliberal politics, and African American preaching. She packages New Age spirituality through the rhetoric of race, gender, and the black preacher tradition. Oprah’s Book Club has reshaped literary publishing, bringing Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy to a broad number of readers. Oprah’s brand extends worldwide through the internet. In this book, writers analyze her positions on teen sexuality, gender, race, and politics, and the impact of her confessional mode on mainstream television news. The book also addresses twenty-first-century issues, showing Oprah’s influence on how Americans and Europeans responded to 9/11, and how Harpo Productions created a deracialized film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 2005. Throughout, it challenges readers to reflect on how Oprah the Industry has reshaped America’s culture, history, and politics.Less
This is a collection of essays that explores Oprah Winfrey’s broad reach as an industry and media brand. Contributors analyze a number of topics touching on the ways in which Oprah’s cultural output shapes contemporary America. The book examines how Oprah has fashioned a persona—which emphasizes her rural, poverty-stricken roots over other factors—that helps her popularize her unique blend of New Age spirituality, neoliberal politics, and African American preaching. She packages New Age spirituality through the rhetoric of race, gender, and the black preacher tradition. Oprah’s Book Club has reshaped literary publishing, bringing Toni Morrison, William Faulkner, and Cormac McCarthy to a broad number of readers. Oprah’s brand extends worldwide through the internet. In this book, writers analyze her positions on teen sexuality, gender, race, and politics, and the impact of her confessional mode on mainstream television news. The book also addresses twenty-first-century issues, showing Oprah’s influence on how Americans and Europeans responded to 9/11, and how Harpo Productions created a deracialized film adaptation of Zora Neale Hurston’s classic novel Their Eyes Were Watching God in 2005. Throughout, it challenges readers to reflect on how Oprah the Industry has reshaped America’s culture, history, and politics.
Stuart Sillars
- Published in print:
- 2021
- Published Online:
- October 2021
- ISBN:
- 9780198828921
- eISBN:
- 9780191938351
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198828921.003.0009
- Subject:
- Literature, 20th-century Literature and Modernism
In the early 1920s, the literary editor Sidney Clark wrote about English classic texts as moral guides for new readers. In 1932, Q. D. Leavis bemoaned the growth of popular fiction as simple escape. ...
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In the early 1920s, the literary editor Sidney Clark wrote about English classic texts as moral guides for new readers. In 1932, Q. D. Leavis bemoaned the growth of popular fiction as simple escape. More positive overall was the growth of books as constructions of word and image, not just through illustrations but in all aspects of design, layout and increasingly through pictorial dust jackets in books of all kinds. Design of covers and binding revealed much about contents, with the Left Book Club and its rival Right Book Club the most extreme, declaring their content and political stance. In new homes, books became a way of presenting the owners’ tastes to visitors; the design of Penguin Books in particular made purchasing easier and cheaper, and also offered books of many kinds, identifiable by colour-coded covers, to new readers.Less
In the early 1920s, the literary editor Sidney Clark wrote about English classic texts as moral guides for new readers. In 1932, Q. D. Leavis bemoaned the growth of popular fiction as simple escape. More positive overall was the growth of books as constructions of word and image, not just through illustrations but in all aspects of design, layout and increasingly through pictorial dust jackets in books of all kinds. Design of covers and binding revealed much about contents, with the Left Book Club and its rival Right Book Club the most extreme, declaring their content and political stance. In new homes, books became a way of presenting the owners’ tastes to visitors; the design of Penguin Books in particular made purchasing easier and cheaper, and also offered books of many kinds, identifiable by colour-coded covers, to new readers.
