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Bookends

FREE SHIP 3PCS Bronze Plated Nice wave Bookmark  GK670

FREE SHIP 3PCS Bronze Plated Nice wave Bookmark GK670

- $0.99 36m
CONCRETE SET HORSE BOOKENDS ONE OF A KIND VERY NICE FREE SHIPPING

CONCRETE SET HORSE BOOKENDS ONE OF A KIND VERY NICE FREE SHIPPING

- $135.00 2h 45m
Don Quixote Cast Iron Hubley Bookends circa 1925

Don Quixote Cast Iron Hubley Bookends circa 1925

- $169.99 6h 12m
4 wholesale Tibetan Silver MIX ASSORTED Bookmark TS587

4 wholesale Tibetan Silver MIX ASSORTED Bookmark TS587

1 $0.99 7h 30m
DUCK bookends  LOOK

DUCK bookends LOOK

- $35.99 9h 30m
Russ "ABC" bookends

Russ "ABC" bookends

-
$4.99
$6.99
10h 47m
Vintage "The Thinker" Bookends - Bronze Finish,  signed.

Vintage "The Thinker" Bookends - Bronze Finish, signed.

- $39.99 11h 16m
END OF THE TRAIL NATIVE AMERICAN BOOKENDS BRONZE VINT

END OF THE TRAIL NATIVE AMERICAN BOOKENDS BRONZE VINT

- $58.00 11h 18m
Pair of bookends made from artillery  shells mounted on wood

Pair of bookends made from artillery shells mounted on wood

1 $35.00 12h 14m
FREE SHIP! 30PCS Tibetan silver chinese hairpin Bookmark  GK682

FREE SHIP! 30PCS Tibetan silver chinese hairpin Bookmark GK682

- $8.26 13h 54m
Antique Cast Iron Bronzed Hubley Flower Basket Bookends or Door Stops Book Ends

Antique Cast Iron Bronzed Hubley Flower Basket Bookends or Door Stops Book Ends

2 $10.49 16h 23m
AGATE CRYSTAL GEODE BOOKENDS-GREAT SET e864

AGATE CRYSTAL GEODE BOOKENDS-GREAT SET e864

- $30.00 16h 46m
Brass Fleur de Lys (symbol of France) set of Bookends...6.5 in x 6.5 in..heavy!

Brass Fleur de Lys (symbol of France) set of Bookends...6.5 in x 6.5 in..heavy!

1 $29.99 16h 49m
ANTIQUE CARVED ADJUSTABLE WOOD BOOKENDS~GERMAN?

ANTIQUE CARVED ADJUSTABLE WOOD BOOKENDS~GERMAN?

- $45.00 16h 52m

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.