Abstracts
Abstract
A key moment in the emergence of the history of the book as an independent discipline occurred in summer 1980, when the participants at the international conference “Books and Society in History” in Boston gathered to issue a manifesto defining the field and calling for institutional funding to support research. Thirty-five years on, my essay draws on my experience as an editor of and contributor to the A History of the Book in America series to explore how that History came to be shaped by discussions during a series of editorial board meetings during the 1990s. I conclude by suggesting a few ways that scholars and historians might now build on those foundations for future directions in their work in book history.
Résumé
L’été 1980 marque un tournant dans l’émergence de l’histoire du livre en tant que discipline distincte. Des participants au congrès international « Books and Society in History », tenu à Boston, signent alors un manifeste qui définit ce champ d’étude et réclame un financement institutionnel de la recherche. Quelque 35 ans plus tard, et à partir de mon expérience comme collaborateur et directeur de publication de A History of the Book in America, je veux explorer la manière dont cette histoire du livre aux États-Unis s’est façonnée au fil de discussions ayant animé les rencontres du comité de rédaction durant les années 1990. Je tenterai également de proposer des avenues que pourraient vouloir emprunter chercheurs et historiens du livre actuels dans la foulée du projet A History of the Book in America.
Appendices
Bibliography
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