Legal Publishing in Antebellum America presents a history of the law book publishing and distribution industry in the United States. Part business history, part legal history, part history of information diffusion, M. H. Hoeflich shows how various developments in printing and bookbinding, the introduction of railroads, and the expansion of mail service contributed to the growth of the industry from an essentially local industry to a national industry. Furthermore, the book ties the spread of a particular approach to law, that is, the 'scientific approach', championed by Northeastern American jurists to the growth of law publishing and law book selling and shows that the two were critically intertwined.

Review of the hardback:‘This changes dramatically how we think about ‘the history of the book’ and legal history, both. Hoeflich brings unprecedented precision to how law books were made and distributed and how this affected legal knowledge. Most importantly, Legal Publishing in Antebellum America shows how we can get at this most difficult of problems: how did ideas remake America?’

Alfred Brophy - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

Review of the hardback:‘Very occasionally a book appears that is a real monument to learning. M. H. Hoeflich’s Legal Publishing in Antebellum America encompasses the study of law, business, history, books, and informational technology in one masterful narrative. Very few have the knowledge to write a book like this. Even fewer do it. We are all in M. H. Hoeflich’s debt.’

Daniel R. Coquillette - Boston College Law School

Review of the hardback:' … full of useful details and insights, often so well presented that they trump (for enjoyment) any consideration of business trends or intellectual movements. Readers will cite Hoeflich's scheme of periodization; but they will also remember the many inferences he can draw from a printed catalogue or a list of subscribers.'

Source: Law and History Review