The answer of the (yester-) day:
As already mentioned the first book I read is
The Americanization Of Edward Bok
by Edward Bok
The edition
The edition I chose was the free Kindle version. It surely has the disadvantage that it doesn't contain the real page count. There were a few typing errors but as I don't have a printed copy at hand, I can't say if they are already part of the original version. The only thing to be a bit annoying, is the layout for cited letters. Way too much space between the lines makes them quite hard to read. But, as I am generally a positive kind of guy: It was for free, so what's to complain about? :)
The author
In case of an autobiography, telling you something about the author apart from the content of the book is a bit difficult. Therefore I will just keep to some key facts, so you know who we are talking about:
Edward Bok (1863-1930) was a Dutch-born American who worked in the editing business for over 40 years. He became famous as the editor of the Ladies' Home Journal, which he headed for nearly 30 years.
The book and its content
The book tells us about the life of Edward Bok. For his autobiography he chose to write in third person, which is quite uncommon. Right at the beginning he tells the reader that this ows to the fact, that the editor Edward Bok whom this book is about, isn't the same as the then retired Edward Bok writing the book.
As the titel reveals, the book starts with the family immigrating to the United States. Even though we learn something about Boks family, little is said about the family living in the Netherlands. As Bok lost his father quite early, he was the breadwinner for the family in an early age. His first job (while his father was still alive) was to clean the windows of a bakery in his neighbourhood in Brooklyn. Later he worked there as a shop assistant. In his free time, he collected letters from famous persons. He tells quite a few funny stories about how he met some of them in person (as a young boy he dined with Teddy Roosevelt and his wife for example).
His first contact with the publishing business was when he joined Henry Holt and Co., today one of the oldest publishing companies in the U.S., in 1882 as a clerk. While working there, he became interested for the first time with women as readers. At the same time he also started his first own enterprise Bok Syndicate Press, together with brother William. They sold articles to various newspapers, including a special section on topics for women. Two years later he joined Charles Scribner's Sons, where he rose from stenographer to head of the advertising department. There he befriended Frank N. Doubleday, founder of Doubleday Publishing.
In 1889 Cyrus Curtis, owner of the Ladies' Home Journal based in Philadelphia, won Bok as editor. He came to direct the Journal for nearly 30 years. Under his administration the Journal, as first periodical in U.S.-publishing history, toped a circulation of one million. The reader not only learns about Bok's views on a veriety of topics such as architecture, fashion and policits and how he won former Presidents of the United States as writers, but also how the Journal managed during World War I. On the other hand, Bok also shows how, from time to time, he was heavily criticized by his readers, for example for his opposition on aigrettes.
The autobiographical part of the book ends with Boks retirement as an editor in 1919.
As a kind of appendix, Bok spends some thoughts on the question on how american society deals with the integretation of immigrants. That's quite interesting to read from today's perspective. To my readers from the U.S.: Your comments on that one would thouroughly interest me!
The book and the Prize
The book gained to Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography in 1921, shortly after its first edition appeared in 1920.
What I think
One main goal of all this is, of course, to tell you what I think of the book. The way I see it, The Americanization of Edward Bok was the perfect start for the challenge. It deserved the Pulitzer alright! Not only the style of Bok's writting makes one leap through the book without one moment of hesitation. The story as a whole is a very balanced one with very entertaining anecdotes as well as some serious thoughts. Of course, you have to cut some of the things as self-advertisement of the author. But the way I see it, that is what you get with every autobiography.
The result
As a result, those of you interested in a fun-read and some interest in the history of the U.S. publishing business get the first unconfined recommendation!
Useful links
- The free Kindle version at amazon.de and amazon.com
- Article on Edward Bok on Wikipedia
- My review on Goodreads
Question of the day
What's next?
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