Working closely with a Wiley team, Wright, Jacobson, and Smith have taken advantage of a timely opportunity to produce an exceptional history. Their immediate motive is to help launch the year-long celebration of the companys upcoming bicentennial, but they also want to bring Wileys unique story, which is central to an understanding of the history of the publishing industry, to interested readers of history (esp. NY, corporate, and media histories), and academics and librarians in those fields. Knowledge for Generations has an ambitious agenda: to look at Wiley and its history within the context of the publishing industry and connect its development to that of larger economic, social, and cultural forces in the U.S. and around the world. It is more than a narrative of company events; in place are the key ingredients of an outstanding interpretive history, including a story of sustained business success, interesting personalities, and dramatic changes in the industry. Knowledge for Generations sheds light on the long-term strengths and weaknesses of Wileys business and illuminates the continuities and changes over time in markets, strategy, and industry structure. It focuses on the distinguishing characteristic of Wileys ownership structure as a family-controlled firm, relating it to the companys strategies, values, and organizational culture. Though the themes are economic and cultural, people animate the book, and anecdotes are used liberally to illustrate human interactions around important events and decisions and bring Wileys history to life. Key people were interviewed, yielding valuable information, insights, and anecdotes not provided by the written record, as well as a variety of perspectives on the evolution of the company and the industry. The authors surveyed the companys historical archives and did extensive research of other primary and secondary sources, meeting rigorous scholarly and literary standards. The book is a lively and compelling read, user-friendly in tone and format, and beautifully designed and illustrated with an extensive photography program and illuminating graphics. The manuscript includes full source citations as endnotes. Though scholarly, the book is written for a broad audience in a lively and illuminating style that will appeal to a New Yorker or Economist-level of reader. The book runs about 400 printed pages and has a larger-than-average trim size.
Book Details:
- Author: Robert E. Wright
- ISBN: 9780471757214
- Year Published: 2007
- Pages: 568
- BISAC: BUS077000, BUSINESS & ECONOMICS/Corporate & Business History
About the Book and Topic:
Working closely with a Wiley team, Wright, Jacobson, and Smith have taken advantage of a timely opportunity to produce an exceptional history. Their immediate motive is to help launch the year-long celebration of the companys upcoming bicentennial, but they also want to bring Wileys unique story, which is central to an understanding of the history of the publishing industry, to interested readers of history (esp. NY, corporate, and media histories), and academics and librarians in those fields. Knowledge for Generations has an ambitious agenda: to look at Wiley and its history within the context of the publishing industry and connect its development to that of larger economic, social, and cultural forces in the U.S. and around the world. It is more than a narrative of company events; in place are the key ingredients of an outstanding interpretive history, including a story of sustained business success, interesting personalities, and dramatic changes in the industry. Knowledge for Generations sheds light on the long-term strengths and weaknesses of Wileys business and illuminates the continuities and changes over time in markets, strategy, and industry structure. It focuses on the distinguishing characteristic of Wileys ownership structure as a family-controlled firm, relating it to the companys strategies, values, and organizational culture. Though the themes are economic and cultural, people animate the book, and anecdotes are used liberally to illustrate human interactions around important events and decisions and bring Wileys history to life. Key people were interviewed, yielding valuable information, insights, and anecdotes not provided by the written record, as well as a variety of perspectives on the evolution of the company and the industry. The authors surveyed the companys historical archives and did extensive research of other primary and secondary sources, meeting rigorous scholarly and literary standards. The book is a lively and compelling read, user-friendly in tone and format, and beautifully designed and illustrated with an extensive photography program and illuminating graphics. The manuscript includes full source citations as endnotes. Though scholarly, the book is written for a broad audience in a lively and illuminating style that will appeal to a New Yorker or Economist-level of reader. The book runs about 400 printed pages and has a larger-than-average trim size.
About the Author
Robert E. Wright is a Clinical Associate Professor of Economics at NYUs Stern School of Business. Professor Wrights publications include: Financial Founding Fathers: The Men Who Made America Rich (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2006), with coauthor David Cowen; The Wealth of Nations Rediscovered: Integration and Expansion in American Financial Markets, 1780-1850 (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002); Mutually Beneficial: The Guardian and Life Insurance in America (New York: New York University Press, 2004), with co-author George David Smith; and The First Wall Street: Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, and the Birth of American Finance (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2005). Timothy C. Jacobson is an author and editor. His numerous books include Making Medical Doctors, A Historical Guide to the United State; From Practice to Profession: A History of the Financial Analysts Profession (AIMR, 1997); and Cottons Renaissance: A Study in Market Innovation (Cambridge University Press, 2001). He founded Chicago Times magazine and served as editor of Chicago History and the 51-volume book series, The States and the Nation. George David Smith is a Clinical Professor of Economics and International Business at NYU’s Stern School of Business. Among his numerous works are Anatomy of a Business Strategy; From Monopoly to Competition; The Transformation of Financial Capitalism, with co-author Richard Sylla, and New Financial Capitalists, written with George Baker.