Public Relations is increasingly recognized as a well-established communication and management science. Indeed, the discipline has now generated an abundance of serious scholarly research which is very wide-ranging and which continues to flourish as never before. But much of the relevant literature remains inaccessible or is highly specialized and compartmentalized, so that it is difficult for many of those who are interested in the subject to obtain an informed, balanced, and comprehensive overview. This new four-volume collection from Routledge’s acclaimed Critical Concepts in Media and Cultural Studies series answers the need for an accessible, one-stop reference work to make sense of the subject’s vast and dispersed literature, and the ongoing explosion in research output.

Edited by Robert L. Heath, a leading scholar in the field, the four volumes of the collection bring together classic and contemporary contributions to provide a ‘mini library’ of the best and most important research. The collection is global and multidisciplinary in scope and the gathered materials explore a range of issues, not least the increasingly important role PR plays in society. In particular, the collection addresses why―and how―corporations, governments, and other bodies practise PR. The collected works also interrogate the history and ethics of Public Relations, and consider the dizzying challenges posed by new, often interactive, technologies and social media.

Public Relations includes a full index and is supplemented by an introduction, newly written by the editor, which places the collected works in their historical and intellectual context. It is certain to be welcomed by advanced students, academics, and practitioners as a vital resource for reference and research.