In an age before television had been conceived, when the first mass circulation newspapers appeared, journalism’s preoccupation with news of crime and crisis became firmly established. Editors learned that follow-up stories from a variety of angles could keep them alive and sell newspapers for days and even months after the event. "Susan Thompson's book is without equal the very best history ever written covering the era of the penny press. Her research into primary sources is extensive, and her writing combines narrative and exposition in an engrossing style that is both scholarly and popular. The book is highly recommended for anyone interested in the history of America's mass media or of 19th-century journalism." — Wm. David Sloan, founder, American Journalism Historians Association “Susan Thompson has written the ideal history of the penny press era. The writing is lively and engaging while remaining rooted in sound scholarship and the documents of the period. She has provided a treasure-trove of stories and facts about this pivotal era of media development.” — David A. Copeland, series editor, Debating Historical Issues in Media of the Time “The Penny Press provides a comprehensive examination of a previously oversimplified era of mass media development. While this era was a time of the escapades of larger-than-life men and women, it was also a pivotal moment – when American journalism would reinvent itself in order to fulfill the needs of a rapidly changing audience, as well as lay the foundation for industry operating practices for future generations.” — Bernell Tripp, author, Origins of the Black Press, 1827-1847 “Susan Thompson uncovers the shenanigans of penny press editors in a concise and entertaining narrative of the newspapers that first defined news and the mass audience in the United States. She reveals hypocrisies and controversies about sensationalism, invasion of privacy, truth in an era of hoaxes, and attempts at political independence.” — William E. Huntzicker, author, The Popular Press 1833-1865