Spreading the News: The American Postal System from Franklin to Morse (Paperback)

~ (Author) "THERE IS AN astonishing circulation of letters and newspapers among these savage woods . . ..." (more)
Key Phrases: official portmanteau, postal officers, abolitionist mass mailing, United States, New York, South Carolina (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

John (history, Univ. of Illinois-Chicago) presents a thoroughly researched and well-written book explaining the history of the U.S. Post Office from the 1770s to 1844. The author asserts that two keys to the success of the post office were giving Congress control in 1792, which encouraged development, and appointing John McLean as postmaster general in 1822, which brought honesty and integrity to the system. These decisions transformed not only the post office but the lives and knowledge of the American people. Because there is no comparable work on this subject, it is disappointing that John's work has some flaws. He has a tendency to jump to conclusions. His assertion that "sober-minded Americans" concluded that Southern-backed "slave-power" had gained control of American life is intriguing but not supported by the facts he presents. Despite drawbacks, scholars and informed lay readers will gain insight into the history of the post office and its impact on American life.
Richard Hedlund, Ashland Community Coll., Ky.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

This book traces the central role of the postal system in [its] communications revolution and its contribution to American public life. The author shows how the postal system influenced the establishment of a national society out of a loose union of confederated states. Richard John throws light onto a chapter in American history that is often neglected but sets up the origins of some of the most distinctive features of American life today...The book is a comprehensive study on an important American institution during a critical epoch in its history. -- Monika Plum "Prometheus [UK]" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (November 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674833422
• ISBN-13: 978-0674833425
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #474,375 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Parallel btwn govt & early post office are remarkable, October 30, 1998

By A Customer

This book gives an inside view of how US government and indeed, the nation's first nationwide corporate entity, struggled with the combined pressures of politics & business 200 years ago. The problems USPS managers faced were remarkably "modern" as were the solutions remarkably "modern." Since I work with an agency that is similar in many respects to USPS, it was fascinating to see them crafting unique solutions in 1835 that we think are innovative in 1998. The book is "dry" in a way, but also very revealing to the persistent reader.