The Bias of Communication (Canadian University Paperbacks)

By Harold A. Innis and Innis Ha

Book Overview

The Bias of Communication, first published in 1951, is a foundational work in media theory that explores how the materials and technologies of communication shape human thought, culture, and history.... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802060277
• ISBN13: 9780802060273
• Release Date: October 1964
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Length: 226 Pages
• Weight: 0.82 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Innis is a powerful experience

I find everything I read by Harold Innis deeply thought provoking. Even when he quotes what I feel are wrong headed observations by Marcel Granet or Winston Churchill on character based langauges where I feel his conjectures reflect the fact he had never experienced learning such a language or thinking in one [instead of encouraging mental inflexibility, I would say, the contrary is true - 'lateral thinking' represented a concept I would never had had to introduce for any of my Chinese students], he feels so honest and so undogmatic, he is stimulating rather than irritating. [The passage occurs in 'A Plea For Time', one of the interesting essays in this book.]He does not dogmatise but stimulates. He does not seek to preach but to help us participate in an ongoing process. In a way, he makes me feel, reading him, as I think a young Greek might have felt who had had the chance to spend time listening to Socrates.I am very enthusiastic about this book and treasure my copy. I have become deeply interested in everything by Innis I can find.

keys to understanding the phases of human/media development

This book and its ideas have stayed with me over 15 years since university : Innis (who influenced Mcluhan) discusses the effect of changes in media on the history of civilization : ex. the invention of papyrus. sometimes obscure, but always a paradigm-shifter