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T. Jefferson Parker *STORM RUNNERS* 1st 1st - HC signed

T. Jefferson Parker *STORM RUNNERS* 1st 1st - HC signed

- $9.99 15m
Man for Himself Erich Fromm(1959)An inquiry into ethics

Man for Himself Erich Fromm(1959)An inquiry into ethics

- $3.50 15m
14 Ben Franklin Institute Railroad Economic Books 1920s

14 Ben Franklin Institute Railroad Economic Books 1920s

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$7.99
$15.00
16m
KJV BIBLE Personal Large Print Plum Purple w Thmb Index

KJV BIBLE Personal Large Print Plum Purple w Thmb Index

- $34.99 17m
MEMOIRS PHILIPPE DE COMMYNES 2 VOLS COMPLETE H C D J

MEMOIRS PHILIPPE DE COMMYNES 2 VOLS COMPLETE H C D J

- $29.99 17m
Franklin Library: "VANITY FAIR" (1981 leather edition)

Franklin Library: "VANITY FAIR" (1981 leather edition)

2 $6.50 18m
1896 THE CAVALIERS S.R. Keightley A NOVEL Harper Bros

1896 THE CAVALIERS S.R. Keightley A NOVEL Harper Bros

1 $7.99 18m
T. Jefferson Parker  *COLD PURSUIT* 1st 1st - HC signed

T. Jefferson Parker *COLD PURSUIT* 1st 1st - HC signed

- $9.99 18m
1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Harper Lee 1st BCE HB w DJ

1960 TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD Harper Lee 1st BCE HB w DJ

$212.50 18m
James Lee Burke''Black Cherry Blues''Signed 1st ed.1989

James Lee Burke''Black Cherry Blues''Signed 1st ed.1989

4 $32.67 18m
1833 BOOK EULERS LETTERS OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY VOL 2

1833 BOOK EULERS LETTERS OF NATURAL PHILOSOPHY VOL 2

2 $6.00 19m
SIGNED BIG Fat Little Lit Art Spiegelman Francoise Moul

SIGNED BIG Fat Little Lit Art Spiegelman Francoise Moul

- $14.99 19m
JACK KEROUAC CLUB BULLETIN Vol 2 No. 1 1988 Bukowski

JACK KEROUAC CLUB BULLETIN Vol 2 No. 1 1988 Bukowski

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$19.00
$24.00
19m
1960 HOLYDAY MAGAZINE TRAVEL GUIDE FRANCE BOOK

1960 HOLYDAY MAGAZINE TRAVEL GUIDE FRANCE BOOK

- $0.99 20m

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.