The Computer and the Page: Publishing, Technology, and the Classroom

The Computer and the Page offers a social view of the publishing process and situates it within contextual structures of history and pedagogy. James Kalmbach uses a framework of thought employed by many in the field of computers and composition and in technical communication to frame their theoretical conclusions and pedagogical choices, but reapplies it to the publishing field.

In chapter 1, Kalmbach provides a close examination of the makeup of the concept of publishing, noting and disputing the common presumption that “publishing” is a concept that need not be defined. He points out that “publishing is a form of transaction through writing” (p. 5), oriented toward action, and that it represents a greater totality of actions and interactions than simply a production of “text.” Kalmbach also notes that computer desktop publishing makes it possible for large numbers of diversely trained individuals to act as publishers today, but he stops short before providing a deep analysis of the significance of this trend. In chapters 2 and 3 he examines the collaborative aspects of publishing, reiterating the conclusions of other writers regarding collaboration in document preparation, but refocusing the content specifically on the activities involved in publishing. He also analyzes the different activities of publishing in terms of purpose. Further, he notes the inherent evaluative aspects of the publishing process.

Kalmbach provides a brief overview of the history of typography in the second part of the book; unfortunately, it lacks the detail provided in James Craig’s earlier work, Designing With Type (1971), or the theoretical grounding of Edward Tufte’s 1983 The Visual Display of Quantitative Information. His short history of computer publishing reiterates, in broad strokes, the more detailed information found in other sources in this area (e.g., Katie Hafner and Matthew Lyon, Where Wizards Stay Up Late [1996]; Shoshana Zuboff, The Age of the Smart Machine [1988]). In the same manner, in his broad overview of issues concerning hypertext publishing he references the tried and true sources that have been used many times by writers in technical communication and in computers and composition to discuss the effects of print and hypertext.

In Part 3 Kalmbach discusses the development of publishing technologies, and even mentions the ubiquitous “Liquid Paper” as a step toward the mistake-erasing IBM Selectric that precursed the computer as a tool for making all “mistakes” invisible. In this final section, he focuses on technology and pedagogy, illustrating through amusing and interesting anecdotal information the ways that instructors can incorporate publishing into their classroom activities.

The Computer and the Page provides a helpful summary of many of the social issues treated in the literature on computers and composition and on technical communication, but applies them specifically to the publishing process—thus broadening application of the social view of communication to yet another venue. Kalmbach’s book is a good first step toward an introduction to the social aspects of the publishing process.