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51-100 Items

65 vintage GOTHIC MYSTERY paperbacks book lot

65 vintage GOTHIC MYSTERY paperbacks book lot

3 $35.44 1h 23m
Huge lot of 55 ROMANCE Christmas theme PAPERBACK books

Huge lot of 55 ROMANCE Christmas theme PAPERBACK books

4 $11.99 3h 17m
Lot of 53 Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal

Lot of 53 Sweet Valley High books by Francine Pascal

1 $44.99 9h 49m
PERSONAL CHEF BUSINESS TRAINING STUDY VIDEO 5 DVD SET

PERSONAL CHEF BUSINESS TRAINING STUDY VIDEO 5 DVD SET

$7.99 9h 54m
Great lot of 74 Childrens Hardcover Books

Great lot of 74 Childrens Hardcover Books

1 $12.99 10h 57m
Super Collection of 70 Plus Western Paperback Books

Super Collection of 70 Plus Western Paperback Books

3 $31.00 11h 33m
Lot of 6 Opera News magazines 2008 NR

Lot of 6 Opera News magazines 2008 NR

- $0.99 11h 53m
Lego #8673 FERRARI F1 FUEL STOP formula one f 1 race

Lego #8673 FERRARI F1 FUEL STOP formula one f 1 race

-
$22.99
$23.50
12h 38m
COLLECTION OF 51 USED PAPERBACKS! NEW AND OLDER!

COLLECTION OF 51 USED PAPERBACKS! NEW AND OLDER!

1 $6.99 12h 43m
A Bulk Lot of 92 Juvenile Fiction Paperbacks - used

A Bulk Lot of 92 Juvenile Fiction Paperbacks - used

4 $26.77 13h 8m
Lot of 65 Golden Books, old and new, some 1st ed.

Lot of 65 Golden Books, old and new, some 1st ed.

3 $16.00 14h 7m
Lot of 100 Silhouette Desire Harlequin Temptation Blaze

Lot of 100 Silhouette Desire Harlequin Temptation Blaze

- $9.99 16h
8 VINTAGE books - history medieval renaissance First Ed

8 VINTAGE books - history medieval renaissance First Ed

- $14.99 16h 2m
(LOT OF 56) PAPERBACK HARLEQUIN ROMANCE BOOKS

(LOT OF 56) PAPERBACK HARLEQUIN ROMANCE BOOKS

$10.00 16h 6m

News

  • Paperback History
    Inexpensive books bound in paper have existed since at least the 19th century and exist in a number of formats that have specific names, such as pamphlets, cheap editions, yellowbacks, dime novels and railway novels. Today most paperbacks are called either "mass-market paperback" or "trade paperback", the differences of which are described later.

     

    The 20th century mass-market paperback format was pioneered by German publisher Albatross Books in 1931 but the experiment was cut short. In England Penguin Books adopted many of Albatrosss innovations, for instance the conspicuous logo and the color coded covers for different genres, beginning in 1935,and was an immediate financial success. British publisher Allen Lane launched the Penguin imprint in 1935, with 10 reprint titles; this started the paperback revolution in the English-language book market. Number one on the Penguin list of 1935 editions was André Mauroiss Ariel.

     

    Allen Lane intended to produce cheap books. He bought paperback rights from publishers, ordered huge print runs (e.g., 20,000 copies) to keep unit prices low, and looked to non-traditional book selling retail locations. Booksellers were initially reluctant to buy his books. But Woolworths, placed a large order on the books, and the books sold extremely well. After this initial success, booksellers were no longer reluctant to stock paperbacks. The word Penguin became closely associated with the word paperback.

     

    Robert de Graaf, in 1939, issued a similar line in the USA, partnering with Simon & Schuster to found the Pocket Books imprint. The term pocket book became synonymous with paperback in English-speaking North America. In Québec, the term "ivre de poche was used, and continues to be used today. De Graaf, like Lane, negotiated paperback rights from other publishers, and produced large print runs. His practices contrasted with those of Lane in his adoption of illustrated covers, aimed at the North American market. In order to reach an even larger market than Lane had, he went the mass market route, through distribution networks of newspapers and magazines, which had a lengthy history of being aimed (in format and distribution) at mass audiences. This was the beginning of mass market paperbacks.

     

    Because of its position as Number One in what became a very long list of Pocket editions, James Hiltons Lost Horizon is often cited as the first American paperback book, which is not correct. The first mass-market, pocket-sized, paperback book printed in America was an edition of Pearl Bucks The Good Earth, produced by Pocket Books as a proof-of-concept in late 1938, sold in New York City, and now very collectible.