Orthodox by Design: Judaism, Print Politics, and the Artscroll Revolution (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9780520264250)

Orthodox by Design, a groundbreaking exploration of religion and media, examines ArtScroll, the world's largest Orthodox Jewish publishing house, purveyor of handsomely designed editions of sacred texts and a major cultural force in contemporary Jewish public life. In the first in-depth study of the ArtScroll revolution, Jeremy Stolow traces the ubiquity of ArtScroll books in local retail markets, synagogues, libraries, and the lives of ordinary users. Synthesizing field research conducted in three local Jewish scenes where ArtScroll books have had an impact-Toronto, London, and New York-along with close readings of key ArtScroll texts, promotional materials, and the Jewish blogosphere, he shows how the use of these books reflects a broader cultural shift in the authority and public influence of Orthodox Judaism. Playing with the concept of design, Stolow's study also outlines a fresh theoretical approach to print culture and illuminates how evolving technologies, material forms, and styles of mediated communication contribute to new patterns of religious identification, practice, and power.



Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the scholarship category, Jewish Book Council

Author: Jeremy Stolow
ISBN-10: 0520264258
ISBN-13: 9780520264250
Publisher: University of California Press
Language: English
Published: 04/28/2010
Pages: 288
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.30lbs
Size: 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.81d
Award: National Jewish Book Award - Finalist

Review Citation(s):
Books & Culture 03/01/2011 pg. 32