Description
Book SynopsisIn the late 1980s, publishers, authors, scholars, and the reading public watched the results of two lawsuits involving the family of John Cheever, short story writer, and Academy Chicago Press. At stake was not only a collection of short stories, but also the definition of intellectual property.
Trade ReviewUncollecting Cheever stands as ominous testament to the vulnerability of small presses—the last refuge for provocative books—in an era of growing corporate power. Those who want to know just how brutal today's publishing biz can become should read about how Academy Chicago Publishers got into the business. * The Boston Globe *
Uncollecting Cheever is the publishing industry's version of Jonathan Harr's A Civil Action. * The Wall Street Journal *
[Miller] offers important insights into the vagaries of both the publishing industry and the legal system. -- Jim G. Burns * Library Journal, December 99 *
Uncollecting Cheever gets behind the scenes to explain legal strategies, quoting particpants in their own words. With events bouncing from high drama to black comedy, the effect is at once tragic and funny. The book is an informative, fascinating revelation of American publishing, law and human greed. -- James A. Cox, Editor and Chief, Wisconsin Bookwatch * Midwest Book Review, Vol 9, No.5, May 99 *
Anyone who enjoys courtroom repartee will rejoice in this book. * Publishers Weekly *
Here is an egregious case of a small press bullied into defeat. Its importance is italicized by the takeover of independent publishers by conglomerates. The small press has become one of the few sources for serious books. -- Studs Terkel
Who says that litigation is dull? Every publisher, every author—indeed every reader—will gain insights and be fascinated by Anita Miller's book. -- Former U.S. Senator Paul Simon
Well-documented and written with restraint and balance. * The Instrumentalist *
Anita Miller offers important insights into the vagaries of both the publishing industry and the legal system and reminds us that real David's victory over Goliath was truly a major upset that isn't recreated evry day. -- Jim G. Burns * Political Science *
The book is energized by the Miller's indignation and disbelief as the case begins to go awry, and it is interlaced with wicked humor. -- Joseph N. Welch II * Chicago Daily Law Bulletin, January 14, 1999 *
Anita Miller tells the story directly from the legal record...filled with dramatic events, suspense, and passion...Must reading for authors, editors, agents, and anyone concerned withthe publishing process. -- Grant Barnes, Director Emeritus, Stanford University Press
Uncollecting Cheever is the autobiography of a lawsuit...This fascinating and well-written work will appeal to anyone who is interested in the workings of today's publishing world, our legal system and how that system affects the people caught up in it. -- Ronald Rotunda, Albert E. Jenner Jr Professor of Law, University of Illinois
Uncollecting Cheever is a tour de force...an unprecedented insight into present day publishing procedures...It is at once horrifying and hilarious. -- Marion Boyars, President, Marion Boyars Publishers, Inc.
Anita Miller's important but disturbing new book is a brilliantly told story...a cautionary tale about a dead author's family's effort to stop the presses from printing a valuable book already under contract. -- Daniel J. Kornstein, Kornstein Veisz & Wexler, New York City
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Prelude: "This Is Really Easy" Chapter 2 "A Splendid Idea" Chapter 3 "I Suppose You Could Say They Haven't Been Delivered" Chapter 4 "A Perfect Agent for the Eighties" Chapter 5 "John's Poor Little Stories" Chapter 6 "Serious Inequities in the Contract" Chapter 7 "They're My Only Children" Chapter 8 "Cheever Clout" Chapter 9 "Franklin Thinks Maybe the Cheevers Won't Like It" Chapter 10 "The Cheevers' Concern about Premature Publicity" Chapter 11 "It's a Matter of Honor" Chapter 12 "The Work Is of Grossly Substandard Quality" Chapter 13 Hearing in White Plains: "They Are Not the Stories of John Cheever" Chapter 14 "It Competes Directly with the Published Literature of John Cheever" Chapter 15 "I Want You to Publish This Book" Chapter 16 The Royce Hotel: "You Won't Sell as Many Books as Random House" Chapter 17 "As If This Were Dirty Laundry . . . Gossip" Chapter 18 Mary Cheever's Deposition: "I Would Like This Creep to Finish" Chapter 19 Franklin Dennis's Deposition: "I'm Going to Ask the Witness Not to Speak with His Attorney" Chapter 20 Susan Cheever's Deposition: "They Are Essentially Package Engineers Rather Than Publishers" Chapter 21 Ben Cheever's Deposition: "I Don't Know a Lot about What Is in This Xerox" Chapter 22 Andrew Wylie's Deposition: "What Was the Man's Name?" Chapter 23 Evidentiary Hearing, White Plains, Day 1, A.M.: "Is That the One They Made into a Movie?" Chapter 24 Evidentiary Hearing, White Plains, Day 1, P.M.: "Which President Were You Speaking Of?" Chapter 25 Evidentiary Hearing, Day 2, A.M.: "Who Is the Beggar?" Chapter 26 Evidentiary Hearing, Day 2, P.M.: "Do You Contend That She Knew What She Was Doing When She Did That?" Chapter 27 Interlude Between Courtrooms: "The Second Thing They Do, Is They Come Before You in a Judge Bash" Chapter 28 Goettel's Opinion: "All Plaintiffs Will Prevail" Chapter 29 "It Looks Like It's Going to Be Relatively Easy" Chapter 30 "You Don't See a Moral Issue Here?" Chapter 31 Chicago Trial, Days 1 and 2: "They Could Be Bad, They Could Be Good, That Is Not the Issue" Chapter 32 Chicago Trial, Day 3: "Welcome to Our Fair City" Chapter 33 Judge Kiley's Decision: "Most of the Dispute Has Been Decided" Chapter 34 "A Literary Gold Mine" Chapter 35 "John Was the King of Hades" Chapter 36 "Paul Is Named Jack and Mani is Amy" Chapter 37 "It Becomes Like a Garbage Can of Stories" Chapter 38 "Enforcing a Contract for Mary Cheever" Chapter 39 "Mrs. Cheever Loves Those Stories" Chapter 40 "Small Press, Small Book" Chapter 41 "It's Still a Very Good Idea, in the Abstract" Chapter 42 "It's Like Getting a Cancer off Your Back" Chapter 43 A Hellabaloo Chapter 44 "Father Sells Best" Chapter 45 "I Think There Is a Moral Issue" Chapter 46 "A Fascinating Example of One Writer's Beginning"
