Jason Epstein (1928–2022)

Although the title may suggest a dry analysis of the book publishing industry, this book is much more the fascinating memoir of a man who worked behind the scenes at the center of post-World War II American literary life. Epstein vividly recounts his glory days at Doubleday where he created the Anchor Books line that launched the "quality paperback' revolution, at Random House working with literary giants like Ralph Ellison, Norman Mailer, Edmund Wilson, and Vladimir Nabokov, and his role in show more founding the New York Review of Books. Epstein laments the passing of this world in the 1980s with the consolidation of the publishing industry under a few massive conglomerations and the rise of giant chain bookstores, arguing that these massive, impersonal, profit-driven entities are unable to develop and sustain the kind of literary movement (modernism) that blossomed in America from the 1920s through the 1960s. However, Epstein optimistically concludes that the development of computers and the internet will usher in a new golden literary era by allowing writers to develop direct relationships with their readers.

Unfortunately, I think Epstein may be overly optimistic about the future of publishing, succumbing to "gee whiz" enthusiasm about the technological potential of the internet but ignoring the struggle that is emerging over what kind of internet we are going to have. The internet holds great potential for reinvigorating literature, but only if it remains an open, widely accessible medium we have been blessed to experience so far. If the media and telecom giants succeed in their attempts to dominate the internet and transform it into a centralized medium like TV-on-steroids, publishing in whatever new forms it takes will remain the bland, profit-driven enterprise that Epstein laments.

This shortcoming aside, Epstein's book is a lively and insightful personal history of the publishing industry and the decline of literature. Well worth reading for anyone who cares about books. show less

I can't tell you how much I enjoy reading informed and coherent opinions. Too many times people think volume and emotion automatically validate points and give arguments merit.
Well Epstein needs neither volume or ranting emotions. He is well informed and gets you to think about publishing in new ways.
This is one of those books you'll enjoy simply because it allows you to have a conversation that you may not have otherwise had. And it's all about books and publishing.
This is one for people show more who like books, all things publishing and thinking about the future of our culture. Even if you find yourself disagreeing with Epstein, you'll find it well worth your time to read. show less

This book, chronicling the work of a man who's been in the industry since the 1950s, is an interesting insight into the post-Golden-Age publishing business. The author's decade-old predictions of the "future" of reading are a dizzying mix of accurate and wishful. More of a memoir than anything else, it contextualizes rather than instructs, provides history rather than practical information.

This was an enjoyable short memoir of the rise and fall of the modern U.S. publishing business, and provides fun anecdotes from the early days of publishing as well as Epstein's insights into new-to-me phenomena like the death of the midlist. Some of his opinions are dead wrong in hindsight - he predicted Amazon would never become profitable - but in general I would recommend it as an introduction into modern publishing history.