A History of the Book in America

Volume 4

Print in Motion

The Expansion of Publishing and Reading in the United States, 1880 - 1940

Edited by Carl F. Daestle and Janice A. Radway. The American Antiquarian Society and The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, NC. 2009 (this is an 8th printing). Hardcover in dust jacket. Black boards with gold lettering. 669 pages. B&W illustrations.

Now we're getting into the areas that interest most people who visit this website. Literacy is no longer a problem in the U.S., and  Everybody needs something to read. Methods of printing change to keep up, but distribution becomes the most challenging part of the equation. In periodicals, pulp magazines vie for an increased share of readers. And finally, the paperback is born.

Again, there are dozens of contributing authors for this volume. And for the first time, there is a thirst for more (at least, by me). By its very nature, the coverage of the various topics is insufficient to address them. For example, the entire subject of paperback books is covered in a few pages (though more will, of course come in the next volume). As a general history, though, it's very good.