--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When Emily Dickinson's poems were…" description: "\"When Emily Dickinson's poems were published in the 1890s, they were a best-seller; the first book of her poems went through eleven editions of a print ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/robert-hass-3548_audience_when-emily-dickinson-s-poems-were-publis_2783891.jpg" --- # When Emily Dickinson's poems were published in the 1890s… ![“When Emily Dickinson's poems were published in the 1890s, they were a best-seller; the first book of her poems went through eleven editions of a print run of about 400. So the first print run out of Boston for a first book of poems was 400 for a country that had fifty million people in it. Now a…” quote by Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/robert-hass-3548_audience_when-emily-dickinson-s-poems-were-publis_2783891.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/robert-hass-3548_audience_when-emily-dickinson-s-poems-were-publis_2783891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/41a/robert-hass-3548_audience_when-emily-dickinson-s-poems-were-publis_2783891.jpg) > “When Emily Dickinson's poems were published in the 1890s, they were a best-seller; the first book of her poems went through eleven editions of a print run of about 400. So the first print run out of Boston for a first book of poems was 400 for a country that had fifty million people in it. Now a first print run for a first book is maybe 2,000? So that's a five-time increase in the expectation of readership. Probably the audience is almost exactly the same size as it was in 1900, if you just took that one example.” [Robert Hass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hass/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The increase in print runs over time shows growing readership expectations, yet audience size remains similar, highlighting changing publishing norms. **In simple terms:** Print runs grew, but audience size stayed similar. Key Takeaway Understand how publishing expectations evolve. Themes publishing readership history Mood analytical historical Type expository informative When to use this quote - book publishing - library acquisition - academic study Key Concepts market dynamics literary trends Questions to Reflect On - How have digital platforms changed readership? - What drives print run decisions today? A Different Perspective Historical data may not reflect current digital trends. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audience/) [Best sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-sellers/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dickinson-261161/) [Dickinson Poems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dickinson-poems-1542764/) [Eleven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eleven/) [Emily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emily/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/emily-dickinson/) [Example](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/example/) [Expectations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expectations/) [Fifty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fifty/) [Firsts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/firsts/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Increase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/increase/) [Millions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/millions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Poems Published](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poems-published-723037/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Print](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/print/) [Readership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/readership/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Sellers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sellers/) [Size](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/size/) ## Related quotes > [No, I don't know any Emily Dickinson poems!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-richter/no-i-don-t-know-any-emily-dickinson-poems/) [Andy Richter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-richter/) > [Emily Dickinson did not like was one of the stated purposes of the college - to convert young women to the Christian cause, finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-benfey/emily-dickinson-did-not-like-was-one-of-the-stated-purposes-of-the/) [Christopher Benfey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-benfey/) > [“What about your beloved Epictetus? 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I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It's those moments, those odd moments that you look for and sometimes by creating this kind of loose atmosphere you find those little moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-levinson/it-s-those-moments-those-odd-moments-that-you-look-for-and-sometimes/) [Barry Levinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-levinson/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! 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