Coldbihot

This is the project's summary: Coldbihot is an interdisciplinary and historical research project that explores the connection between Stalin’s death, the US-backed coup in Iran, and the opening of a US-sponsored publishing house (Franklin Publications) in Cairo in 1953. After Stalin died the American “battle of ideas” with the spread of communism entered a new phase. Key … Continue reading Coldbihot →

The project is funded

I am pleased to announce that the project is now funded under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (Individual Fellowship) for three years.

Two new books

Taking Books to the World: American Publishers and the Cultural Cold War, by Amanda Laugesen. (Pub Date: September, 2017, Publisher: UMass Press, ISBN: 978-1-62534-309-3). The author uses the analogy of empire to argue that despite “charitable hopes, and intellectual reasoning behind this global experiment,” Franklin did not achieve “what it had hoped to accomplish." A review of the book is in … Continue reading Two new books →

What was Franklin Book Programs?

Franklin Publications Inc. (Franklin Book Programs Inc. after 1964) was founded in 1952 as a non-profit organization. Franklin was initially funded by the US government, but it also relied on donations, private sponsors and its actual operations. In the five years ending 30 June 1963, “about 35% of the support came from the US government … Continue reading What was Franklin Book Programs? →