Customer Reviews

What A Book Can Do: The Publication and Reception of Silent Spring (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book)

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As the sub-title says, this book is primarily on the publication and reception of Silent Spring. It talks about the effort to get it published, the response of the pesticide industry, how the media handled it and so on. But there are a few points the author made that I think worth special mention.

One is the fact that now, 45 years after its publication, the book is still in print. This implies that there is still sufficient readership that the publisher finds it worth its while to keep ordering more when copies on hand run out.

Another is how could one distinguish a book like this which somehow generates such worldwide interest, in fact it could be argued that it created the environmental movement as we know it today with it's accompanying set of laws.

Finally just what is it that makes 'Silent Spring' so effective, while other books on equally important aspects of our future such as 'The Limits to Growth,' or books on Hubbard's Peak (of oil production) be so generally ignored. Was it the writing style? The media attention?

Ms. Murphy has done a fascinating job of looking at 'Silent Spring.' I think she has just scratched the surface about 'What a Book Can Do.' I hope she continues her research in this area.

Many readers might never pick up this book unless a Media or Environmental Studies professor placed it on the Required Reading List. In libraries, it probably hides behind a multi-digit call number. But lucky students! To find such an oasis in the academic desert! As far as I can tell, "What a Book Can Do" is THE thorough, scholarly, insightful study of the astonishing impact "Silent Spring" produced on our consciousness and our culture. But more than that: the stories behind the stories behind the stories, concerning not just Rachel Carson but also all the other parties affected by her work, are truly fascinating. "What a Book Can Do" is a real page-turner. Read it.

In 1962 the appearance of naturalist Rachel Carson's Silent Spring not only sparked debate on pesticide and ecology issues; it helped change the nature and effectiveness of preservation efforts around the world. It first appeared as a magazine serialization, but its book version really reached out to larger audiences. Priscilla Coit Murphy's What A Book Can Do: The Publication And Reception Of Silent Spring isn't just another analysis of the book itself: it's a review of the publishing history of the Houghton Mifflion edition and the prior New Yorker serialization, incorporating the views of her editors as well as Carson herself - and her opponents. An exceptional history which is strongly recommended for any reader of Silent Spring.

In 1962 the appearance of naturalist Rachel Carson's Silent Spring not only sparked debate on pesticide and ecology issues; it helped change the nature and effectiveness of preservation efforts around the world. It first appeared as a magazine serialization, but its book version really reached out to larger audiences. Priscilla Coit Murphy's What A Book Can Do: The Publication And Reception Of Silent Spring isn't just another analysis of the book itself: it's a review of the publishing history of the Houghton Mifflion edition and the prior New Yorker serialization, incorporating the views of her editors as well as Carson herself - and her opponents. An exceptional history which is strongly recommended for any reader of Silent Spring.