The reader-centered emphasis dominating the current literature reflects an assumption that what is learned from text, and how much is learned, is determined primarily by the reader. An alternative thesis, however, is that much of the responsibility for text comprehensibility may lie with the producer of the text. That is, the text needs to be…

Students in English education typically have to live in (at least) two worlds: departments of English in which they receive their disciplinary training, and departments or schools or programs of education in which they work to develop the pedagogical content knowledge they need to teach in that discipline. Often those worlds are far apart. In this…

An interview with Howard E. Smith, Jr., who edits science and junior books at McGraw-Hill, and with Thomas G. Aylesworth, who edits books for young readers at Doubleday. They discuss the selection of authors and subjects for books; science fiction and biography; characteristics of good science books; and foreign books. (LS)

Reports on the results of an international language planning project. (PM)

Designed to fill a gap in reference collections, this work indexes a total of 17,686 biographical sketches of 10,000 different children's authors and illustrators appearing in 26 biographical dictionaries and other reference sources. Each entry indicates the author's name and dates of birth and death (as listed in the publications indexed) plus a…

This publication provides an introduction to selected works of Latin American literature that are available in English. Following an introduction that presents an overview of Latin American literature, a brief section lists and annotates relevant works of description, analysis, and criticism. The major section of the publication provides annotated…

Survey data on newspaper food editors and newspaper readers were collected through a title-rating technique. Analysis of responses to 40 food titles and leads indicated three newspaper food-editor types: transitional, traditional, and "new guard." Food-page readers fell into two types: information oriented (nutritionists) and cooking…

This paper carefully examines the literary elements Scott O'Dell uses in his children's novel "The Captive," that so successfully engage even a reluctant reader. The paper explores the writer's style and subtle use of detail and foreshadowing. Quoting specific examples, the paper points out O'Dell's imaginative syntax and his ability to…

These recommendations and report on Public Lending Right (PLR) drafted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe were designed to encourage the recognition of the principle of PLR and the setting up of compatible PLR schemes throughout Europe. It discusses why an agreement for PLR is necessary, and describes several methods of…

This manual was developed as a resource for teacher inservice workshops on writing and also for use by individual teachers in developing their own writing skills. Areas of instruction include: development of various manuscript elements (title, table of contents, etc.); generation of unique ideas; typing and illustration; and ways to publish the…

A general semantics perspective of science fiction writer A. E. van Vogt is presented in this paper. The first major section of the paper contains a biographical sketch of van Vogt and traces the influence of A. Korzybski's work on general semantics, "Science and Sanity," on his writing, while the second major section provides an…

Since a fundamental principle of communication is to adapt to the audience, authors of journal articles would be wise to familiarize themselves with their primary audience, the editor of the professional journal. Everything that an editor does results from an interplay of the editor's ideas about the purpose, scope, audience, literary quality, and…

Art historians of the present deal with the description, chronology, topography, and evaluation of works of architecture, sculpture, painting, and the minor arts. They connect works of art with sources and documents referring to their origin, their artists, and their techniques, and are interested in biographies and the reconstruction of the…

This biographical dictionary contains over 200 entries on Greek and Roman rhetoricians. The compilation omits persons who were exclusively performers or composers unless they were also theorists, critics, authors of treatises or textbooks, or teachers of speech. Bibliographical notes are attached to particular biographies rarely and only for…

Interviews were conducted with each of the nine speech ghostwriters for Florida's seven statewide elected officials (including the governor) to determine the writer's methods of operation, his background and the extent of his preparation for the position. All of the ghostwriters defended their job as ethical, with the justification that…