gogogo
Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

A social history of the media : from Gutenberg to the Internet / Asa Briggs and Peter Burke.

By: Contributor(s): Material type: TextTextPublication details: Cambridge : Polity, c2009.Edition: 3rd edDescription: viii, 346 p. : ill., map ; 25 cmISBN:
  • 0745644953 (pbk.)
  • 9780745644950 (pbk.)
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 302.23 BRI
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Copy number Status Date due Barcode
Standard Loan LSAD Library Main Collection 302.23 BRI (Browse shelf(Opens below)) 1 Available 39002100403030

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Written by two leading social and cultural historians, the first two editions of A Social History of the Media became classic textbooks, providing a masterful overview of communication media and of the social and cultural contexts within which they emerged and evolved over time.

This third edition has been thoroughly revised to bring the text up to date with the very latest developments in the field. Increased space is given to the exciting media developments of the early 21st Century, including in particular the rise of social and participatory media and the globalization of media. Additionally, new and important research is incorporated into the classic material exploring the continuing importance of oral and manuscript communication, the rise of print and the relationship between physical transportation and social communication.

Avoiding technological determinism and rejecting assumptions of straightforward evolutionary progress, this book brings out the rich and varied histories of communication media. In an age of fast-paced media developments, a thorough understanding of media history is more important than ever, and this text will continue to be the first choice for students and scholars across the world.

Previous ed.: 2005.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • List of Illustrations (p. vi)
  • Preface (p. viii)
  • 1 Introduction (p. 1)
  • 2 Printing in its Contexts (p. 13)
  • 3 The Media and the Public Sphere in Early Modern Europe (p. 61)
  • 4 Technologies and Revolutions (p. 91)
  • 5 New Processes and Patterns (p. 121)
  • 6 Information, Education, Entertainment (p. 179)
  • 7 Media Convergences (p. 237)
  • 8 In and Out of Cyberspace (p. 275)
  • Chronology (p. 303)
  • Further Reading (p. 315)
  • Index (p. 331)

Excerpt provided by Syndetics

"In this new and revised edition, Asa Briggs and Peter Burke have updated their classic study to cover the media developments of the early twenty-first century. In addition to the historical material exploring the continuing importance of oral and manuscript communication, the rise of print and the relationship between physical transportation and social communication, a new chapter on multimedia extends the far-reaching scope of this book. New media technologies are treated in depth throughout the latter sections and the book concludes with an account of the convergences associated with digital communication technology, the rise of the Internet and the phenomenon of globalization." "Avoiding technological determinism and rejecting assumptions of straightforward evolutionary progress, this book brings out the rich and varied histories of communication media. It will be an ideal text for students in history, media and cultural studies and journalism, but it will also appeal to a wide general readership. It has already been translated into more than ten languages."--BOOK JACKET.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Asa Briggs was born in Keighley, England on May 7, 1921. He received a BA in history and a BSc in economics from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge in 1941. During World War II, he worked at Bletchley Park, the Buckinghamshire country house devoted to cracking German wartime codes. He taught at several universities including the London School of Economics; Worcester College, Oxford; Leeds University; the University of Sussex; and Open University.

He wrote several non-fiction works including The Age of Improvement, Victorian People, Victorian Cities, Victorian Things, and a five-volume history of British broadcasting. His last two books were the autobiographies entitled Secret Days and Special Relationships. He died on March 15, 2016 at the age of 94.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Powered by Koha