"His admirers called him the "Barnum of Books" and the "Voltaire of Kansas" because of his ability to bring culture and education to the people. R. Alton Lee brings to life Emanuel Haldeman-Julius (1889-1951), a writer-publisher-entrepreneur who was one of America's most significant publishers and editorialists of the twentieth century, if not all time. His company published a record 500,000,000 copies of 2,580 titles and was second only to the U.S. Government Printing Office in the quantity of publications it produced. Lee details Haldeman-Julius's family origins in Russia and his formative years in Philadelphia, where he learned the book trade. As a writer and editor for the Social Democrat, Sunday Call, and Western Comrade, Haldeman-Julius was already well known by the time he launched his own publishing company. Haldeman-Julius knew, was nurtured by, and published writers such as Jack London, Upton Sinclair, Jane Addams, Emma Goldman, H. L. Mencken, Carl Sandburg, Eugene V. Debs, Clarence Darrow, Job Harriman, Will Durant, and Bertrand Russell, among others. Based in Girard, Kansas, his company, Haldeman-Julius Publications, covered socialist politics, the philosophy of free thought, and both new and classic books marketed to ordinary Americans, including the Little Blue Book series of classics in Western thought and literature. This biography of the enigmatic and energetic Haldeman-Julius opens a window into the fascinating world of early twentieth-century radical politics and publishing"--

Every publisher dreams of selling 100 million books. E. Haldeman Julius made it happen. Year after year, publishers go under before they even see a fraction of that number. The reason is simple. Few publishers truly know what the American public wants to read. Fewer still know what key words in a title can trigger a buying frenzy. Be different and gain control of your publishing success by applying the results of E. Haldeman Julius's amazing, scientific experiment. He published thousands of books, all with the same cover design, size and price. The only thing that set them apart was the title. He discovered that a change of a single word literally could mean thousands more in sales. Gain an insight into the American public's buying habits without breaking the bank. Apply key words that trigger your buyers' insatiable appetites and be the next publishing success. Don't hesitate, because your competitors sure won't.

"Story of an unsuccessful marriage against a background of Kansas farm life." Cf. Hanna, A. Mirror for the nation.