Managed texts are written and designed by a team of writers and researchers under the direction and control of a publishing house. How these books got started, what needs they meet, their advantages and disadvantages, and the consequences they are having on college text publishing are addressed. (JMD)

City Lights Books of San Francisco has served as a literary meeting place, as a bookstore that concentrates on serious literature--especially poetry, as a publisher of significant voices such as those of Allen Ginsberg and Charles Bukowski, and as an institution with a political conscience. (JMD)

Westview Press in Boulder, Colorado, is a small independent press with an interest in scholarly publishing, especially manuscripts concerned with international and public policy. High speed and low cost are the advantages of its no-frills production method. A description of its operation and guidelines for authors are presented. (JMD)

The issue of readability vs academic standards in college textbooks is addressed. Problems in balancing both needs and other problems involving textbooks and the publishing industry, including textbook resales and routine revisions of texts, are discussed. (JMD)