History of paperback book

The revolutionary effect of the paperback book this simple innovation transformed the reading habits of an entire nation 30 is the number of trees, in millions, cut down annually to produce books. Today is paperback book day, and in addition to hosting a little giveaway on facebook, i wanted to share some links about the history of paperbacks. His plan was to sell quality books for the price of a pack of cigarettes. The paperback, too, is unusually well suited to reading in wartime. Learn more about the paperback book, its history, how it gained popularity, and more. Penguin distributed to bookstores, but pocket books were distributed at newsstands, subways, and drugstores to reach the rural areas that penguin was missing. They were essentially a disposable product, cheap enough to buy and throw away theyre still pretty much regarded that way, even though their prices have risen to unconscionable levels.

Online shopping from a great selection at books store. This sale is for eusebius the church history by paul l. Unlike hardcover books, paperbacks werent really designed to be treated with respect. According to company legend, as kenneth davis explains in his indispensable history of the paperback book, twobit culture, lane had his.

The penguin group publishers offer this often colorful company history in a. Some hardcover book publishers worried that paperback books would drive them out, and others dismissed the idea of paperback books completely. The revolutionary effect of the paperback book arts. Who knew it was so interesting after a few false starts throughout history, paperbacks as we know them todayportable, softcovered, reasonably priceddidnt take off until just before world war 2. Book history publishing book trade bookselling commerce trade. How the paperback novel changed popular literature classic writers reached the masses when penguin paperbacks began publishing great novels for the cost of a pack of. A paperback, also known as a softcover or softback, is a type of book characterized by a thick paper or paperboard cover, and often held together with glue rather than stitches or staples. The story about the first penguin paperbacks may be apocryphal, but it. Paperback books provided a source of goodquality writing and. How the paperback novel changed popular literature arts. As books have now reached the 21st century with the creation of the increasingly. The book was a paperback original from gold medal books, and, completely contrary to the authors intention, it became one of the first titles in the genre of lesbian pulp fiction. Search the worlds most comprehensive index of fulltext books.

In contrast, hardcover or hardback books are bound with cardboard covered with cloth, plastic or leather. For a nation suffering 20 percent unemployment, books were an. The intriguing history of paperback books university of. Browse new and enduring titles on ancient history, european history, the civil war, u. Preparing for the advanced placement examination, 2018 edition. How paperbacks transformed the way americans read mental. The first respectable mass market paperback in the us was, indeed, the good earth, published by pocket books in november, 1938.