Orthodox by Design, a groundbreaking exploration of religion and media, examines Art Scroll, the world’s 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 Art Scroll revolution, Jeremy Stolow traces the ubiquity of Art Scroll books in local retail markets, synagogues, libraries, and the lives of ordinary users. Synthesizing field research conducted in three local Jewish scenes where Art Scroll books have had an impact—Toronto, London, and New York—along with close readings of key Art Scroll 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, Stolow’s 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
Table of Content
List Of Figures
List Of Tables
Acknowledgments
Introduction
1. Authoritative and Accessible
2. Artscroll’s Public Life
3. Prayer Books, Cookbooks, Self-Help Books: Designs for Kosher Living
4. Materializing Authenticity
5. Gravity and Gravitas: A Concluding Reflection on Print Scripturalism in the Digital Age
Notes
Select Bibliography
Index
About the author
Jeremy Stolow is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at Concordia University, Montreal, Canada.
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