RICHARD B. KIELBOWICZ is an Assistant Professor of Communications at the University of Washington. He has held a postdoctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution and has served as a consultant on the history of communication policies for government and business. His articles have appeared in Administrative Law Review, Journalism Quarterly, Journal of the Early Republic, Canadian Review of American Studies, and the Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy, among other publications.
?Quick, name some things frequently attributed to the Post Office. How about rapidly escalating letter rates and inconsistent service? But did you know that in the 1700s and 1800s, the Post Office had a major impact on magazine formats, content, publiction dates and circulation patterns as well? Those are just some of the interesting findings in Richard B. Kielbowicz's well-researched book about the Post Office's historical role in disseminating news and promoting national communication. His study is relevant both to newspaper historian and to journalists because it demostrates throughout that some of today's problems in the mass communication field are not new al all... ...what is covered in this book is well done. The Post Office and its impact on the press would seem to be the most mundane of subjects, but Kielbowicz brings to life and shows its importance. His book is definitely worth reading.?-Newspaper Research Journal