Quill Magazine
A conversation with veteran journalist Sam Stall about Empire of Ink, media history, and what the past can teach us about the future of journalism.
Read →Empire of Ink
The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper
A sweeping history of America’s first media revolution: the rise of the newspaper, and the transformation of a fledgling republic into the world’s first information superpower.
No society had ever generated so much ink and paper in so little time. Between the Revolutionary War and the dawn of the twentieth century, the number of American newspapers increased five hundredfold. In Empire of Ink, Alex Wright tells the story of how an unruly young democracy found its voice.
Vividly bringing a pivotal chapter in American history to life, Empire of Ink reveals how the nation’s age-old struggles over truth, technology, and power continue to echo into today’s digital age.
Reviews and Praise
“Captivating … A rip-roaring, richly entertaining feast.”
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
“A spunky history of newspapers… finding in the actual cut-and-paste culture from then much in common with today’s jostling, jousting online media”
THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW
“Engaging… A fresh, often startling account of newspapers’ early years.”
KIRKUS
“A masterful work of historical exposition that serves as a vital reminder of why the print medium matters.”
SHELF AWARENESS (Starred review)
“Confident and written in a sure hand, Empire of Ink is every bit the crowd-pleaser a pop history should be.”
BIG THINK
“Tracing the rise of these lively, idiosyncratic, and largely rural papers… Wright elucidates the key role of information flow in our nation’s metabolism.”
THE NEW CRITERION (Critic’s Pick)
“Wright relates the stories of those small-town editors and printers with great charm. His book is rich with entertaining profiles and well-told anecdotes.”
COMMONWEAL
“Few writers trace the way humans communicate and share information as well as Alex Wright.”
DAVE PELL, NEXTDRAFT
“Rich with colorful characters and surprising parallels to today’s information ecosystem, Wright’s sweeping history argues that battles over truth, technology, and power have been with us from the beginning.”
CHRONOGRAM
“Wright is a polished prose stylist… Empire of Ink [is] a valuable and insightful addition to the voluminous annals of journalism history.”
SPECTRUM CULTURE
“Beautifully written … A wonderful read.”
ANDREW PETTEGREE Author of The Invention of News
“A sobering reminder of the incredible power of America’s free press.”
STEVEN HELLER Former art director, New York Times Book Review
“Empire of Ink makes clear why newspapers deserve a prime seat at the table of American history.”
JOSEPH M. ADELMAN Author of Revolutionary Networks
Interviews
Columbia Journalism Review
In an era of change and fragmentation, the history of the early American press shows that media is shaped not only by technology, but by infrastructure, law, and society.
Read →PRINT Magazine
An interview with Steven Heller about the research behind Empire of Ink.
Read →History Unplugged
A conversation with historian Scott Rank about the rise of the American newspaper and the people, technologies, and institutions that shaped the country’s first media revolution.
Listen →Books & Looks
A conversation with host Blaine DeSantis about newspapers, mummy paper, printers’ devils, and gunslinging editors (among other things).
Listen →History Shorts
A conversation with host Peter Zablocki about the unruly early American press and what its history can tell us about today’s media landscape.
Listen →The Daily Catch
A wide-ranging interview with reporter Maggie Baribault about my personal journey into the history of American newspapers.
Read or Listen →KPCW (Utah NPR)
A fun, free-ranging conversation with hosts Roger Goldman and Kevin Kennedy about old newspapers, touching on the wild and boisterous history of the Old West press.
Listen →A Book With Legs
Chatting with host C.W. Smead talking about the book, and exploring some of the parallels between the early newspaper industry and today’s digital media ecosystem.
Listen →