The British Book Market & The Industrialization of the Book

Summaries

The British Book Market 1600-1800

• The idea of copyright first came around in Britain in 1710. Authors sold their rights to their books to publishers who would then sell the book themselves. The book "trade" that they called it was quite similar to how books are sold today. 
• Because the book trade was booming and books were becoming more readily available for the public illiteracy rates went down in London. Since people were beginning to learn to read more the first children's book was being sold by the publisher John Newbery.
• Although books were more widely read and more people could read eventually the price of books continued to rise making it more difficult to buy them from the bookseller or book store. 

The Industrialization of the Book 1800-1970

• Paper machines were invented by Didot that more than doubled the production of paper making creating books easier and faster. The wooden press wasn't quite as efficient as the later iron press which required less effort and put more pressure on the paper. 
• The industrialization of the book with the paper machines, printing presses, bookbinding techniques and began to make the book easier to circulate because it was cheaper and it didn't take as long to put together.

Comment

Its quite amazing how fast books progressed. In just under 200 years the books went from being hand bound and hand written to being bound by rolling presses and written by printing presses and finally by 1970 everything that it took to make a book was done completely by machines and really not much human power. 

Question

The paperback book began to be printed in the late 1800s but wasn't a big deal until 1940s because of the war and they made it possible for soldiers to have something to do while not fighting because they easily fit in their pocket. Paperback books are still cheaper than hardcover so why do you think it is still a important that books are still printed in both paperback and hardcover?