October 27, 2000

Are University Presses Producing Too Many Series for Their Own Good?

By LINDSAY WATERS

Nietzsche began his essay "On the Advantage and Disadvantage of History for Life" by citing Goethe's line, "Moreover I hate everything which merely instructs me without increasing or directly quickening my activity." Could it be that, with the wild proliferation of book series in recent years, scholarly publishers are producing lots of works that merely instruct (if they're lucky), and not enough that quicken the activity of scholars and students?

Just why do publishers develop series?

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