"...readers will appreciate Bosch's insights in comparing Nazi and GDR media, and underscoring common government interventions that emerged across fascist and democratic regimes, as well as his attempts to be inclusive with regard to Asian, African, and Latin America media formations. While the Internet age appears only in an epilogue, readers will profit from Boesch's framing and breadth, and from his comprehensive bibliography and reviews of German sources and issues." * Choice



"...he manages to provide a fascinating panorama of the emergence of new media over the course of more than seven centuries and their interaction with the social, cultural, and political conditions prevailing at different epochs. The book is not a "German media history" in the strict sense, but it does have strong comparative elements as well, offering a side glance on media developments in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Moreover, Boesch competently integrates the history of media evolution with societal interactions and ensuing social and political changes." * H-German



"This is an excellent, wide-ranging, and expertly researched survey of the historical role of mass media in the Western world. It is original, concise, and well written, and provides a wealth of information that is not easily accessible elsewhere... [It] is held together by analytical questions on the role of mass media in mirroring and fostering cultural, social, economic, and political change... The breadth of the survey is admirable and so is its academic rigor." * Christina von Hodenberg, Queen Mary University of London