Publishing Archives: The Intellectual Foundations of American Historical Documentary Editing

The ideas, perspectives, and methodologies that inform contemporary documentary editing and the production of editions of archival sources [print and digital] have their origins in earlier eras of editing. Editor-historians active in the 1930s-1960s engaged in editorial work that also expressed itself as a form of archival criticism. The emergence of this archival criticism remains under examined. This has consequences for our broader understanding of LIS and archival history, while limiting critique of contemporary expressions of archival publishing.

Contemporary historical editions reflect a rich assemblage of intellectual and textual histories. This book offers an intellectual history of archival publishing, including the emergence/development of conceptions of editing, the tensions that existed between differing perspectives, and the expression of editorial ideas in published editions. This examination also contextualizes contemporary archival publishing through an investigation of current discussion related to representation, emerging forms of archival publishing, and the continued applicability of past editorial frameworks.

This work will support researchers and readers interested in archival, library, and information history; practitioners concerned with understanding the origins of contemporary archival publishing practices; and students of history, scholarly publishing, and the information sciences.