The Lousy Racket: Hemingway, Scribners, and the Business of Literature

by Robert Trogdon

The business of making an American literary icon The Lousy Racket is a thorough examination of Ernest Hemingway’s working relationship with his American publisher, Charles Scribner’s Sons, and with his editors Maxwell Perkins, Wallace Meyer, and Charles Scribner III. This first critical study of Hemingway’s professional collaboration with Scribners also details the editing, promotion, and sales of the books he published with the firm from 1926 to 1952 and provides a fascinating look into the American publishing industry in the early twentieth century. This painstakingly researched study reveals the working relationship between Hemingway and his editors, with special emphasis on the friendship that developed between Hemingway and the dean of American book editors, Maxwell Perkins. Drawing on many unpublished resources, including correspondence between Hemingway and his editors and others in the firm, as well as printing, advertising records, and sales dummies,
Robert W. Trogdon shows how Hemingway’s public reputation was shaped in large part by Scribners. Hemingway scholars will appreciate this contribution to Hemingway studies, and The Lousy Racket is an important contribution to studies in the modernist era in American literature and to book history.

Genres: Nonfiction

320 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2007

Reviews

[Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the best book on Hemingway and publishing to date. It offers a wealth of interesting factoids about Hemingway's relationship with the House of Scribner's (usually channeled through Maxwell Perkins). Some of the info came as complete news to me: I didn't know the august company goofed and circulated fliers advertising TO HAVE AND TO HAVE NOT and FOR WHOM TOLLS THE BELL. Even more important, Hemingway and Perkin's epistolary exchanges about royalties and advertising are given the proper context here. Most interesting, Trogdon includes tables charting the monies EH made on each book and on how much Scribner's spent to advertise each. Very informative, very readable.

[Brian Stillman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Only Hemingway obsessives need to wade into this one.

Felt like some of the same territory was covered - and in less numbing detail and at a better clip - in Hemingway and His Conspirators.