Authors and Audiences reveals the cultural milieu that gave rise to the golden age of hardcover fiction. Karr describes the relationships between authors, literary agents, and publishers in Toronto, London, New York, and other centres; examines the relationship between authors and the movie industry; and discusses the reception of fiction by critics and readers. This is the first Canadian study to use fan mail to highlight readers' interactions with author and text. Karr places the authors' careers in an international setting and shows how, despite living a considerable distance from the leading cultural production centres of New York and London, they became internationally recognized and read.