American Authors and the Literary Marketplace since 1900

"West admirably and lucidly stalks an important theoretical point-the relationship between aesthetic and commercial factors in the production of serious American literature."—American Literature

"The first systematic, scholarly examination of authorship in our own time. . . . A valuable and stimulating book."—Library Quarterly

"An absorbing account of the mechanics and economics of American writing."—Encounter

"[West] bulids a convincing case for the way market forces shape a writer's career, subject matter, and narrative form."—Review in American Studies