The phrase `production of culture' is concerned with how the organizations in which culture is produced and disseminated affect the nature of culture itself. Yet there is no clear consensus on what is meant by this phrase. Crane, in reviewing and synthesizing current research, provides a systematic and accessible approach to this complex subject.

She examines the issue on both popular and elite levels. The reader is thus allowed to see how the notion of `production' changes depending on the size of the audience and the structure of the particular cultural industry.