Chapter 4: Books

Study

Even before the first evidence of the written word in 3500 B.C., when pictographs were used to record everyday life, humans have strived for more efficient means of communication. The development of the book allowed new ideas to spread across continents, encouraged standardization of written languages and spurred major social change, such as increasing literacy rates.

The media and technology to capture the written word evolved rapidly. Papyrus and parchment evolved into paper. Early on, monks were responsible for hand-copying religious books. This process was slow, and only a small number of books were available to the general population. To remedy this, Johannes Gutenberg took carved blocks and coupled them with a modified winepress to construct the first printing press in Europe. The printing press increased the rate at which books could be produced, thus more books became available, and literacy rates skyrocketed as more people learned to read. More innovation in the mass production of books came in the 1800s, with the introduction of a steam powered printing press, the rotary press, and a more efficient typesetting machine, the linotype.

The 1640 Whole Booke of Psalmes was the first book printed in the American colonies. America soon embraced the idea of mass produced books. Through their philanthropic endeavors, entrepreneurs such as Benjamin Franklin and Andrew Carnegie established circulating libraries, with Carnegie financing close to 1,700 in the early 1900s. Serial novels, which were published in affordable installments, and dime novels, which celebrated the American democratic ideal, were popular with readers in the mid-1800s. Also at this time, some of the most celebrated American literary works, such as Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, and Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass, were published. However, these titles had to wait for their declarations as literary masterpieces to achieve high sales numbers as they were outsold in their own time by domestic novels written for women.

The book publishing industry is controlled by a small number of large publishers currently following the trend of buying up their competitors. The top five publishers in the world are McGraw-Hill, Random House, Harcourt Education, Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck, and Scholastic. Online retailers such as Amazon.com and superstores such as Barnes and Noble have a large share of the book-selling market. However, smaller publishers, such as university presses, continue to provide specialized books to readers.

As long as there are books, there will be those who want to censor and even ban certain books for the messages they contain. Censorship in the United States is usually localized in scope, usually when a school board bans a book for a few controversial words or passages. However, as in the case of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, the ideas found in a book can create an international uproar with violent consequences. Young adult's author Judy Blume fears that children will seek out and read banned books simply because of they have been flagged as inappropriate or controversial, with the end result of readers missing the original concept of the book in their quest for controversial content.

Like other media, the future of book publishing will be consumer-based and centered on the convenience of allowing readers to easily find and purchase books. Specialized independent retailers cater to small reader communities such as crafters or mystery lovers. Online retailers are able to provide an unmatched selection of titles without the overhead of traditional bookstores. In some cases, the physical books themselves are not even printed until the order is completed. Electronic formats allow a consumer to purchase, download, and read a book; including textbooks, on their computer or specialized, portable e-reader players.

Learning Objectives

•  Know how writing mediums such as papyrus, parchment, and paper were developed.

•  Understand the developments in printing technology throughout history.

•  Understand the significant social changes that mass-produced books initiated.

•  Know who the major book publishers are, who distributes them, and how they get books into the hands of consumers.

•  Understand the effects that the banning and censoring of books can have on society.

•  Understand the differences between the short head and long tail companies in the book-selling market and what they are able to provide consumers.

Review Questions

1. What was the role of the printing press in bringing about social change?


2. Other than the large corporate publishers, who else publishes books and what do they specialize in?

3. What advantages do online book retailers have when compared to traditional bookstores?