A Short History of the Modern Media

A Short History of the Modern Media presents a concise history of the major media of the last 150 years, including print, stage, film, radio, television, sound recording, and the Internet.

• Offers a compact, teaching-friendly presentation of the history of mass media
• Features a discussion of works in popular culture that are well-known and easily available
• Presents a history of modern media that is strongly interdisciplinary in nature

Jim Cullen is Chair of the History Department at the Fieldston School in New York and a book review editor at the History News Network. He is the author of a dozen books, including Imperfect Presidents: Tales of Misadventure and Triumph (2007), Essaying the Past: How to Read, Write and Think about History, 2nd edition (Wiley-Blackwell, 2012), and Sensing the Past: Hollywood Stars and Historical Visions (2013).

Introduction: Medium Message

Chapter 1

a. Overview / Print’s Run: Publishing as Popular Culture

b. Genre Study / Terrifying Pleasures: Horror

c. Document Study / Edgar Allan Poe: A Ravenous Imagination

d. Further Reading

Chapter 2

a. Overview / Dramatic Developments: The World of the Stage

b. Genre Study / Notes from the Stage: The Broadway Musical

c. Document Study / Showboat: High Tide of the American Musical

d. Further Reading

Chapter 3

a. Overview / Reel Life: The Art of Motion Pictures

b. Genre Study / Horse Sense: The Logic of the Western

c. Document Study / The Searchers: Monumental Western

d. Further Reading

Chapter 4

a. Overview / Making Waves: Radio in American Life

b. Genre Study / Worlds Away: Science Fiction

c. Document Study / The Mercury Theater of the Air: ‘Worlds’ War

d. Further Reading

Chapter 5

a. Overview / Channels of Opportunity: The Arc of Television Broadcasting

b. Genre Study / Screened Realities: Situation Comedy

c. Document Study / Seriously Funny: I Love Lucy

d. Further Reading

Chapter 6

a. Overview / Sound Investments: The Evolution of Sound Recording

b. Genre Study / Joyful Blues: The Rise and Fall of Rock & Roll

c. Document Study / Speak Now: The Gently Assertive Voice of Taylor Swift

d. Further Reading

Chapter 7

a. Overview / Weaving the Web: The Emergence of the Internet

b. Genre Study / Shared Exchanges: Social Media

c. Document Study / Wikipedia: The Wisdom of Crowds

d. Further Reading

The New copy of this book will include any supplemental materials advertised. Please check the title of the book to determine if it should include any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.

The Used, Rental and eBook copies of this book are not guaranteed to include any supplemental materials. Typically, only the book itself is included. This is true even if the title states it includes any access cards, study guides, lab manuals, CDs, etc.