Orthodox by Design Judaism, Print Politics, and the ArtScroll Revolution [Hardcover]

Orthodox by Design, a groundbreaking exploration of religion and media, examines ArtScroll, the worlds largest Orthodox Jewish publishing house, purveyor of handsomely designed editions of sacred texts and a major cultural force in contemporary Jewish public life. In the first in-depth study of the ArtScroll revolution, Jeremy Stolow traces the ubiquity of ArtScroll books in local retail markets, synagogues, libraries, and the lives of ordinary users. Synthesizing field research conducted in three local Jewish scenes where ArtScroll books have had an impactToronto, London, and New Yorkalong with close readings of key ArtScroll texts, promotional materials, and the Jewish blogosphere, he shows how the use of these books reflects a broader cultural shift in the authority and public influence of Orthodox Judaism. Playing with the concept of design, Stolows study also outlines a fresh theoretical approach to print culture and illuminates how evolving technologies, material forms, and styles of mediated communication contribute to new patterns of religious identification, practice, and power.



Finalist for the National Jewish Book Award in the scholarship category, Jewish Book Council

Jeremy Stolowis Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.

This is the first thorough study of the ArtScroll publishing 'phenomenon,' which is a major force in contemporary English-speaking Jewish life. It is deeply and richly informed by interdisciplinary work on semiotics, textuality and mediation. It will be quite useful to those working in areas such as religion and media, contemporary Jewish studies, history of print, sociology of religion, and American religion. And it should fascinate those who are regular if not always uncritical users of ArtScroll publications. Jonathan Boyarin, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

With stunning clarity, wit and originalitlC‡