Literary Dollars and Social Sense: A People's History of the Mass Market Book

Contents: Introduction: Social Authors and Disseminators in the Age of the Mass Market A. Authorship Study B. From Scriptorium to Factory C. Antebellum Social Authorship D. Venues and Avenues for Print E. Scope and Methods F. Sketches of Amateurs G. Organization I. In and Out of Print A. Reasons to Write for Print 1. Self-Motivated Production 2. Publication via Others B. Publishing and Its Consequences 1. Getting Into Print 2. Getting Out of Print C. Conclusion II. Textual Appearances A. Charlotte Forten's First Dollar B. Lucy Larcom's Little "'Lucre'" C. John Townsend Trowbridge's "X" Mark D. Conclusion III. From the Outside Looking In A. Reading About Authors B. Hearing About Authors C. Seeing Material Representations D. Seeing Authors E. "When Dickens Was Here" VI. Inside and Outside the Literary Marketplace A. The World of Distributors 2. Agents 3. Other Sales B. Visiting Places of Dissemination 1. Bookstores 2. Libraries C. Librarians from Social Sense to Social Service 1. Demands upon Librarians 2. Librarianship as Service D. Teachers from Social Service to Professionalism 1. Demands upon Teachers 2. Paid Oral Dissemination C. Performative Literary Dissemination 1. Panorama Men 2. Lecturers D. Conclusion 5. Conclusion: "The Privilege of Going On" A. The Professional Trend 1. Postbellum Literary Careers 2. Social and Amateur Practices among Canonized Authors 3. Changes in Literary Distribution B. Whither the Amateur? 1. Active Amateurs 2. The New Authorship System C. Desocialization with the Production-Consumption Dichotomy 1. Literary Dollars' Social Costs 2. Canonical Reflections Appendix 1: Charlotte Forten's "To a Beloved Friend" Appendix 2: Lucy Larcom's "Mississippi and Missouri" Appendix 3: Excerpt from John Townsend Trowbridge's Martin Merrivale Abbreviations Notes Acknowledgments