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LOT OF 3 HARRY POTTER J.K ROWLING PB BOOKS

LOT OF 3 HARRY POTTER J.K ROWLING PB BOOKS

1 $5.00 16m
12 Brand New audiobook CDs! ROBERTS STEEL LOWELL LOT 15

12 Brand New audiobook CDs! ROBERTS STEEL LOWELL LOT 15

- $39.99 18m
5 Books - Humor Motivation Joy

5 Books - Humor Motivation Joy

- $0.99 19m
LOT OF 7 HEATH LITERACY IMAGES BOOKS

LOT OF 7 HEATH LITERACY IMAGES BOOKS

- $5.00 19m
5 French mag. * IMAGES DOC * 8-12 y o

5 French mag. * IMAGES DOC * 8-12 y o

-
$5.95
$6.50
23m
17)THE CAT WHO MYSTERY BKS * LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN

17)THE CAT WHO MYSTERY BKS * LILLIAN JACKSON BRAUN

1 $5.00 24m
25 Bulk Book Lot of Random PB   HC GC-BN Resellers Lot!

25 Bulk Book Lot of Random PB HC GC-BN Resellers Lot!

- $16.99 25m
25 Bulk Book Lot of Random PB   HC GC-BN Resellers Lot!

25 Bulk Book Lot of Random PB HC GC-BN Resellers Lot!

- $16.99 25m
1993-2006 PATRICIA CORNWELL PAPERBACK BOOK LOT OF 12

1993-2006 PATRICIA CORNWELL PAPERBACK BOOK LOT OF 12

1 $9.99 25m
20 ILLUSTRATED WILDLIFE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

20 ILLUSTRATED WILDLIFE ENCYCLOPEDIAS

- $8.00 25m
12 Brand New audiobook CDs! ILES,  CUSSLER,  CRAIS LOT 14

12 Brand New audiobook CDs! ILES, CUSSLER, CRAIS LOT 14

1 $39.99 26m
1940 RCA RECEIVING TUBE MANUAL TECHNICAL SERIES RC-14!

1940 RCA RECEIVING TUBE MANUAL TECHNICAL SERIES RC-14!

- $7.99 26m
Lot of 5 Chicken Soup Books- excellent condition

Lot of 5 Chicken Soup Books- excellent condition

1 $1.99 27m
LOT OF 9 SCOTT FORESMAN READING BOOKS

LOT OF 9 SCOTT FORESMAN READING BOOKS

- $6.25 31m

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.