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ISBN: 9780199214891
Series: A Very Short Introduction
Bestsellers (History)
A Very Short Introduction Bestsellers (History) Media > Books > Non-Fiction > Education Books Expect Delays of Up to 4 Weeks
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ISBN
9780199214891 (10-digit ISBN: 0199214891)
- Description
- Key Features
- Series Description
- Table of Contents
- John Sutherland argues that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study.
- Asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction, why some critically-acclaimed novels never make it, and examines what bestsellers reveal about both literary culture and society.
- Lifts the lid on the 'bestseller industry', and examines what makes a book into a bestseller.
- Includes lively summaries of bestsellers over the years - including both classic and contemporary novels, alongside some surprising titles and long-forgotten names.
- Gone with the Wind, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Blue Lagoon, Portnoy's Complaint and The Da Vinci Code - these are just some of the bestselling titles that Sutherland discusses.
'I rejoice', said Doctor Johnson, 'to concur with the Common Reader.' For the last century, the tastes and preferences of the common reader have been reflected in the American and British bestseller lists, and this Very Short Introduction takes an engaging look through the lists to reveal what we have been reading - and why.
John Sutherland shows that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study. Along the way, he lifts the lid on the bestseller industry, examines what makes a book into a bestseller, and asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction.
Exploring the relationship between bestsellers and the fashions, ideologies, and cultural concerns of the day, the book includes short case-studies and lively summaries of bestsellers through the years: from In His Steps - now almost totally forgotten, but the biggest all-time bestseller between 1895 and 1945, to Gone with the Wind and The Andromeda Strain, and The Da Vinci Code.
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
Epigraph
List of illustrations
1. Definitions
2. The modern scene
3. Fields and lists
4. The American Bestseller
5. The British Bestseller
6. The Future of the Bestseller: is there one?
Further reading
Index
'I rejoice', said Doctor Johnson, 'to concur with the Common Reader.' For the last century, the tastes and preferences of the common reader have been reflected in the American and British bestseller lists, and this Very Short Introduction takes an engaging look through the lists to reveal what we have been reading - and why.
John Sutherland shows that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study. Along the way, he lifts the lid on the bestseller industry, examines what makes a book into a bestseller, and asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction.
Exploring the relationship between bestsellers and the fashions, ideologies, and cultural concerns of the day, the book includes short case-studies and lively summaries of bestsellers through the years: from In His Steps - now almost totally forgotten, but the biggest all-time bestseller between 1895 and 1945, to Gone with the Wind and The Andromeda Strain, and The Da Vinci Code.
Key Features
- John Sutherland argues that bestseller lists monitor one of the strongest pulses in modern literature and are therefore worthy of serious study.
- Asks what separates bestsellers from canonical fiction, why some critically-acclaimed novels never make it, and examines what bestsellers reveal about both literary culture and society.
- Lifts the lid on the 'bestseller industry', and examines what makes a book into a bestseller.
- Includes lively summaries of bestsellers over the years - including both classic and contemporary novels, alongside some surprising titles and long-forgotten names.
- Gone with the Wind, Lady Chatterley's Lover, The Blue Lagoon, Portnoy's Complaint and The Da Vinci Code - these are just some of the bestselling titles that Sutherland discusses.
Series Description
Oxford's Very Short Introductions series offers concise and original introductions to a wide range of subjects--from Islam to Sociology, Politics to Classics, Literary Theory to History, and Archaeology to the Bible.
Not simply a textbook of definitions, each volume in this series provides trenchant and provocative--yet always balanced and complete--discussions of the central issues in a given discipline or field. Every Very Short Introduction gives a readable evolution of the subject in question, demonstrating how the subject has developed and how it has influenced society. Eventually, the series will encompass every major academic discipline, offering all students an accessible and abundant reference library.
Whatever the area of study that one deems important or appealing, whatever the topic that fascinates the general reader, the Very Short Introductions series has a handy and affordable guide that will likely prove indispensable.
Please note: As this series is not ELT material, these titles are not subject to discount.
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