Across post-industrial societies worldwide, the creative industries are increasingly seen as a key economic driver. These industries - including fields as diverse as advertising, art, computer games, crafts, design, fashion, film, museums, music, performing arts, publishing, radio, theatre and TV - are built upon individual creativity and innovation and have the potential to create wealth and employment through the mechanism of intellectual property.

Creative Industries: Critical Readings brings together the key writings - drawing on both journals and books - to present an authoritative and wide-ranging survey of this emerging field of study.

The set is presented with an introduction and the writings are divided into four volumes, organized thematically:

Volume 1: Concepts - focuses on the concept of creativity and the development of government and industry interest in creative industries;
Volume 2: Economy - maps the role and function of creative industries in the economy at large;
Volume 3: Organization - examines the ways in which creative institutions organize themselves; and
Volume 4: Work - addresses issues of creative work, labour and careers

This major reference work will be invaluable to scholars in economics, cultural studies, sociology, media studies and organization studies.

Brian Moeran is Professor and Director of the Creative Encounters Research Programme, Copenhagen Business School. The author of numerous articles on the social processes surrounding the creative industries, his most recent book with Berg is the multivolume reference set, Advertising: Critical Readings (Berg, 2010).

Ana Alacovska is at Copenhagen Business School. Her current research is on the travel guide publishing industry at the intersection of print and digital cultures.