RhetNet Books

Series Editor: Eric Crump, Interversity

In 1997, RhetNet editor Eric Crump wrote of the two books included on the journal's Web site, "We use the word 'books' with some trepidation in these parts, but the texts included in association with that term exhibit decidedly bookish characteristics. They were, after all, written and edited as books and so were given book-shape. They appear here, however, and so begin to fuzz around the edges, acquiring a glimmer of online features, a hint of hypertext, and the possibility of reader/writer interaction. But we must portray them for what they primarily are: books. Mighty good books, IMNSHO." The two books shown below offer insights into early online work in the field of composition and rhetoric. We offer them as they appeared in RhetNet.

Books in the Series

Conversations: Computer-Mediated Dialogue, Multilogue, and Learning

By Beth Baldwin

In this book, Baldwin "argues in favor of a 'pedagogy of textual conversation,' a pedagogy made possible in large part by electronic technology, by computer mediated communication. Informing the argument is a deep philosophical commitment to conversation itself as the primary mode of meaning-making in both social and personal life." ... More 

The Rhetorical Dimensions of Cyberspace

Edited by Beth Baldwin and Tim Flood

In their edited collection, Baldwin and Flood argue that exploring the rhetorical dimensions of cyberspace "imperative." "We ourselves, our students, our business people, our government officials, and even our neighbors are increasingly going 'on-line,' spending more and more time immersed in virtual worlds whose only dimension is the rhetorical dimension" they write. "Contributors to the collection have bothered to be among the small number of those willing to take a critical look at what we're all doing and where we may be going." ... More 

About the Publisher

The first online journal in the field of rhetoric and composition, RhetNet described itself as "a concerted effort to see what publishing on the net might be in its 'natural' form. Without leaving our print heritage behind entirely, we want to adapt to the net rather than only adapting net publishing to print-based convention." The journal is presented in archived form on the WAC Clearinghouse.