Listen: Publisher Max Rudin introduces the “indispensable” Library of America

Looking to learn more about The Library of America in an easily digestible form? Last week our Publisher, Max Rudin, spoke to Ron Litke of Rivet Radio in a conversation that covered The Library of America’s mission and editorial process, its perennial bestsellers, and whether a presidential election cycle affects the popularity of any of its titles.

Library of America Publisher Max Rudin
in New York City, May 26, 2015.
© Star Black

Characterizing The Library of America as “more than the sum of its parts,” Rudin described the organization’s commitment to an eclectic roster that spans the gamut from A (as in Adams, Henry) to Z (Zukofsky, Lewis). As Rudin explained, The Library of America’s scope has widened beyond traditionally defined classic authors like Herman Melville and Mark Twain to encompass such areas as war journalism and sportswriting, sermons and speeches, and genres like science fiction and hardboiled detective novels. As Rudin tells Litke, “Once these writers join each other on the same shelf, they begin to speak to each other across centuries, across geography.”

Listen to the full interview with Max Rudin using the audio player embedded below.