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Owners Manuals

1958 OSTERIZER Model 99 Blender owners manual cookbook

1958 OSTERIZER Model 99 Blender owners manual cookbook

$4.99 19h 58m
AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MANUAL...1985 THRU 1994 CHEV...GEO

AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR MANUAL...1985 THRU 1994 CHEV...GEO

- $0.45 21h 18m
Haynes 1990 -1993 Honda Accord Automotive Repair Manual

Haynes 1990 -1993 Honda Accord Automotive Repair Manual

- $3.99 22h 8m
SAAB 93 Viggen 1999 Road&Track Road test RARE! NR!

SAAB 93 Viggen 1999 Road&Track Road test RARE! NR!

1 $1.00 1d 14h 24m
1965 OLDSMOBILE Owners Manual

1965 OLDSMOBILE Owners Manual

- $0.95 1d 15h 41m
Whirlpool Automatic Washer Do-it-yourself Repair Manual

Whirlpool Automatic Washer Do-it-yourself Repair Manual

2 $8.49 1d 16h 23m
BIG BOOK AUTO REPAIR MANUAL

BIG BOOK AUTO REPAIR MANUAL

1 $3.00 1d 21h 18m
Jeep CjAutomotive Repair Manual by Larry Warren (1997)

Jeep CjAutomotive Repair Manual by Larry Warren (1997)

- $0.99 2d 1h 13m
Chilton Dodge Dakota 97-00 Repair Manual

Chilton Dodge Dakota 97-00 Repair Manual

1 $0.99 2d 2h 28m
Mercedes Benz 230 280 E 240 D 300 D Owner's Manual Lot5

Mercedes Benz 230 280 E 240 D 300 D Owner's Manual Lot5

1 $5.99 2d 12h 37m
1991 1992 CADILLAC BROUGHAM Shop Service Repair Manual

1991 1992 CADILLAC BROUGHAM Shop Service Repair Manual

$49.00 2d 14h 16m
FORD Pick-Ups & Bronco 1987-96 Repair Manual, 8136 26664

FORD Pick-Ups & Bronco 1987-96 Repair Manual, 8136 26664

- $6.95 2d 17h 33m
Acramatic A950MC  Magnum 800 1000 Programming Manual

Acramatic A950MC Magnum 800 1000 Programming Manual

- $1.00 2d 22h 10m
International truck parts catalog model D-400-DS-400

International truck parts catalog model D-400-DS-400

- $7.95 2d 22h 54m

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.