A loose-knit history of American journalism that promises more than it delivers. Leonard (Journalism/Univ. of Calif., Berkeley; The Power of the Press, 1986, etc.) concentrates not so much on newspapers themselves as on their cultural influence and how they have been variously read and interpreted. For example, one of the bestselling books prior to the Civil War, American Slavery As It Is, was a collection of clippings culled from southern newspapers. These items, unnoteworthy to southern readers, were read by northerners as damning indictments of slavery. As Leonard ably demonstrates, newspapers came to occupy a central cultural position in 19th- century America. Most hotels had a special reading room, taverns boasted of the numbers of papers they subscribed to, and with the democratic intent of widely disseminating information, Congress mandated a significantly reduced postal rate for all newspapers. By 1918, the average household subscribed to 1.4 daily newspapers. From there it was all downhill until the nadir of the 1970s, when most cities were left with only one daily paper and many publications were actively looking for ways to get rid of less affluent subscribers. Leonard blames all the usual suspects but is hardest on newspapers themselves, mainly for forgetting their particular communities and for dumbing down content. And he is certain that technology will continue to play its usual supporting role, in the form of computers and the Internet. There is the core of a fascinating book herealthough the incessant journalistic hand-wringing grows tiresomebut Leonard jumps carelessly from idea to idea, making this seem more like a collection of musings and short essays than any kind of serious, developed history. Flashes of insight, but few scoops or exclusives. (illustrations and photos, not seen)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1995
ISBN: 0-19-506454-2
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Oxford Univ.
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 1995
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
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