The papers in this compilation were drawn from a 1977 conference on book publishing in Wisconsin. Following introductory remarks, the five papers in the collection deal with the following topics: (1) the history of Perishable Press, which specializes in publishing hand-made books; (2) the role of the publishing firm Wisconsin House in the…

Lists books into general categories of those useful for advanced technicians, and those useful for the hobbiest or sculptor-painter. Available from: Theatre Design and Technology, Journal of the U.S. Institute for Theatre Technology, 1 Hillside Road, Newark, Delaware 19711. Subscriptions: subscription to Theatre Design and Technology is a…

The objectives of the three-country survey of developmental book activity in East Asia were (1) investigation of book activity in each country, (2) determination of priority book needs (3) development of program recommendations to answer these needs, and (4) formulation of regional recommendations relating to a book and library effort that might…

The present is a critical period in the existence of many academic publishers and especially among those developing textbooks and related educational materials for the college market. The drop in college enrollments combined with the increased costs of publishing and the amount of educational materials flooding the market in an unstructured manner…

Offers suggestions for textbook writing and observations on subject, publishers, prospectus, advances, approach, reviews, audience, and deadlines. (MS)

Offers the author's own experiences with the textbook publishing process to point out that authors and publishers produce textbooks which sell, that textbooks which sell continue in print and inspire imitators, and that teachers' power in the process stems from their choices about which textbooks they will use. (JAD)

Discusses the process of turning a manuscript into a published book for the Canadian English-as-a-second-language market, offering information on such topics as working with a co-author, class-testing, manuscript preparation, deadlines, contracts, the production process, and post-production responsibilities. (Author/CB)

California's Board of Education recently rejected all of the more than 20 seventh- and eighth-grade science textbooks submitted to it because the books' publishers had "watered down" the treatment of evolution. Rationale for the board's decision and implications for publishing (such as revising the textbooks) are addressed. (JN)

Two educational publishers in the field of language instruction present their views on various issues concerning computer-assisted instruction (CAI). These include: the advantages of CAI, the concerns teachers generally have, arguments for publishers, and the editorial standards that publishers hope to see realized. (SL)

How relevant are some textbooks when professors, even in the same department, teach similar courses in different ways? Are there methods by which textbook companies can receive realistic, substantive feedback concerning the quality of communication textbook offerings? This paper details the methods by which its author/educator became a textbook…

Examines Burt's contributions to typographical research on spacing words and texts; use of serifs, and the effects of typefaces, typesizes, and line-length on reading comprehension. In spite of Hearnshaw's (1979) favorable assessment and the wisdom of Burt's sentiments, many of his conclusions were not supported by data. (JAC)

A lawsuit against Kinko's, a nationwide chain of photocopying stores, is expected to be filed soon. The target of the lawsuit is photocopied anthologies used by professors to supplement textbooks or to substitute for them altogether. There is evidence that anthologies have been produced without permission of copyright owners. (MLW)

Examines the impact of publishing industry diversification on the college textbook publishing process. Topics discussed include characteristics and trends of the college publishing industry; corporate ownership and managerial practices; the rationalization of editorial and marketing processes; evaluative criteria; author selection; and suggestions…

Increasingly, college textbooks written to the specifications of individual professors are being produced on demand by custom publishers, often prepared very quickly to contain up-to-date information. Students prefer them to photocopied packets of readings. The trend is a reaction to the emergence of information-on-demand computer networks. (MSE)

Examines the economies at play in the textbook/teaching intersection. Argues that administrators need to interrogate their own complicity in composition textbook publishing processes, and that there is considerable revision they can enact by inserting themselves (as writing program administrators) into the process at appropriate points. Argues for…