近五百年來，出版界大致無波無浪，直到二十一世紀之初，經濟壓力與科技變革浪潮襲來，出版界才不得不改變作風，好好思考書業的未來。作者約翰‧湯普森以引人入勝的語言剖析美、英兩國書籍出版商、代理商、經銷商的角色，描繪三者自一九六０年代以來的角色演變，並深入分析數位變革如何改變出版界的遊戲規則。本書是任何出版界相關人士皆需一讀的經典之作。

For nearly five centuries, the world of book publishing remained largely static. But at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the industry faces a combination of economic pressures and technological change that is forcing publishers to alter their practices and think hard about the future of the book. John Thompson's riveting account dissects the roles of publishers, agents, and booksellers in the United States and Britain, charting their transformation since the 1960s. Offering an in-depth analysis of how the digital revolution is changing the game today, Merchants of Culture is the one book that anyone with a stake in the industry needs to read.