ABSTRACT
In a twenty-year period between 1890 and 1910 just about every basic social science-sociology, economics, anthropology, psychology, and political science-developed their own publishing programs, usually emphasizing journal rather than book publishing. What is clear is that the area of social science publishing is a part of the history of social science as such, and not just a small part. The publications efforts of the United States Government Printing Office consolidated early on the professional and pragmatic basis of social science in America. Social scientists often viewed themselves as public commentators on societal and civilizational issues, rather than as narrow specialists in highly parceled and refined areas of research. With the rise of professional societies in various fields of social science, there also arose journal publications. Specialized serial publications have become a major force in the social sciences as they have in the biological sciences. There are now specialized publishers in serial publishing catering almost exclusively to library and archival needs.
