Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 23, 1963)
Paperback Books Now Big Business (Editor's Sole: The amazing growth of paperback books in the last 25 years is traced in the following dispatch, writ ten for UP1 by the head of one of the largest firms pub lishing paperbounris in the United States.) By KURT ENOCH President of New American Library (Written for United Press International) : NEW YORK (UP1) - One of the more peaceful revolutions of the 20th century has taken place in the United States. That is the emergence and gigantic growth of paperback books dur ing the past quarter century until today practically every American owns from one to hundreds. About 250 million low-priced paperbounds and about 25 mil lion high - priced paperbounds were sold in 1962. Hardcover sales, including book clubs, amounted to slightly more than 90 million. Not New Despite the worldwide leader ship of the United States in this field, paperbacks are not an American invention. They first appeared in Europe in the early 19th century. In their first emer gence in the United States paper backs underwent several short lived phases. The Boston So ciety for the Diffusion of Know ledge started to issue them in 1829. In 18-13, increased postal rates plus over production a recurrent problem with paper backs caused their cessation. In 1873, the "Tribune" published "extras" in paperback form. The firm of Donnelly, Gassett and Lloyd soon followed suit with dime novels. Other publish ers such as Harper Bros., D. Appleton and Co.. Henry Holt: Dodd, Mead, and Funk and Wagnalls also entered the field. But the copyright law of 1891 put an end to all this when it re quired payment for publication of foreign material which had previously been free of royalty I have steadily moved into more fees The more sustained European effort in paperbound publishing carried into the 20th century. The best known English - lan guage paperbacks originated in 1837 in Leipzig with Tauchnitz which amassed, in 90-odd years, about 5,000 English-language ti tles by British and American authors. Albatross, a British German firm formed in 1932, added 400 more titles, but World War II ended its activi ties. The Albatross format was adopted bv Penguin, a British company which pre-dated by tour years tne ttrsi signmcani phase of American paperbacks the appearance of the low priced, mass-distributed Pocket Books in 1939. Following Pock et Books closely in the United States were Avon Book and the U. S. branch of Penguin which in 1947 became New American Library and others such as Bantam, Dell, Ballantine, Popu lar Library. In 1952 came the high-priced lines like Anchor, Vintage and the multitude of hardcover and university press paperbounds which are sold pri marily in bookstores. Many Titles In their two dozen years of existence in the 20th century in America, paperbounds have shown a vigor that defies anal vsis. In 1939, 34 titles were pub lished. In lUltt, there were 1,866 new titles in tne low-pricea neia and 7.056 in the higher-priced cultural fields. A staggering variety of contemporary and classic literature from all na tions is now available in paper bounds. The latest writings on nuclear developments as well as those of the ancients, politics, government, history, poetry, drama, philosophy, religion, ref erence books by the score, lan guage books, entertainment are among the paperbacks that crowd the newsstands in every city and hamlet in the United States. Cultural Upsurge Does this vast distribution of books indicate a cultural up surge in the United States? I think it does, and our experience at New American Library pro vides evidence of the desire and taste for good reading. When we issued the first Mentor books, a series devoted to scholarly nonfiction classics, we encount ered great skepticism from our distributors as to their salability in the mass market. We had to persuade them to make a try. The results amazed us. Hooks like Homer's "Iliad" and "Odys sey," "Mythology" by Edith Hamilton, "Patterns of Culture" by Ruth Benedict, have sold from a million to two million copies. Many truly scholarly works have been printed in edi tions of two or more hundred thousand. High-quality fiction, published under the Signet im print, including such titles as "1984. Darkness at rvoon. the effect that students in the high school there no longer had ! an excuse for tardy book re ports because they now have paperbacks. I cannot predict the future of ment devoted to reviews and , as the paperback revolution, pro gressed to "the coming of age" more space to paperbacks. Many now have an annual or semi-annual paperback supple- features. A year ago the New York Times carried a front page Sunday story on the use of paperbacks in the schools. Dur- and now has emerged into an era of abundance and diversity. I leel, however, that there is no ing National Library week the limit to the possibilities so long Columbus Citizen ran a front- as paperbound publishers con page story on the addition of i tinue to supply the apparently 5.000 paperbacks to its public I insatiable demand of Americans library system. The newspaper I for low-cost books on every con in LaPorte, Ind. ran a story to I ceivable subject. SECTION B PAGES 1 to 8 MEDFORDtiiM RIBUNE MEDFORD, OREGON. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 11, 1963 Dennis the Menace field. The latest issue of "Paper-! "Catcher in the Rve," "Animal bounds in Print," a catalog of , Farm," have found millions of selected titles, lists 21,800 paper-1 readers. bounds. In these 24 years the physical format has changed radically from poor paper, small type, flimsy bindings and lurid covers to high standards among the better paperbounds of good white paper, larger type, dur able bindings and artistic cov ers. But the most significant im provement has been in the con tents of the books. Since 1939, when light fiction, mysteries, westerns and crossword puzzles predominated, the paperbounds Our most recent venture is a complete Shakespeare, in 38 vol umes, one volume to a play with a separate volume for the sonnets and other writings. One of the most important new fields for paperbound pub lishers in the last few years is the educational market. Teach ers have found paperbacks use ful for themselves and their students. To the teacher, they offer flexibility of assignment as supplementary reading. Newspapers also are devoting i b I y 1 j I R ' j ft ' 2 Brilliant Fluorescent HUNTERS CAPS With Ear Flaps Reg. $1.49 99c DEER BAGS Reg. CS $i.oo tftjl Red ' SWEAT SHIRTS ,iBw Crew Necl iT $139 Remington & MllHiJJJif Winchester "S&SdillMA I i Hunting Ammo! SSS8l 1U9. Price 6MM REMINGTON , l 4 30 243 WINCHESTER ..l.'lZZIZlZi-.3a 244 REMINGTON , .'. IZL-ZH 30 257 ROBERTS '4.43 250 SAVAGE ; ZZ. 4.00 264 WINCHESTER MAGNUM ."S 85 170 WINCHESTER ; .!. ".....4.75 280 REMINGTON """"" 475 7MM MAGNUM sies 7MM MAUSER 4 75 30 CARBINE 7'50 30-30 WINCHESTER 3 75 30-40 KRAG " """ " 4 75 30.06 4 75 300 SAVAGE 440 300 H&H MAGNUM OR 300 WINCHESTER MAGNUM 6 00 303 BRITISH " " 4 75 303 WINCHESTER 475 8MM MAUSER 475 32 WINCHESTER SPECIAL 3 BS .22 LONG RIFLE 85 .22 LONG 70 .22 SHORT 65 .22 LONG HIGH POWER 90 'SURE itSareau6un! M it shoots ffltmi&ll k ,1 pE ? WESTGATE I IW18T K W VL HUNTERS Wm&J VARIETY WHOLE DRAWN K&3 J "A" Grade USDA Inspected Plump, Spot lessly Clean Beauties. Vf gNa Wrdr ik. I blw PAN READY! 4 FRYERS FRYER PART Buy The Piece You Like! THIGHS, LEGS, BREASTS lb.4S BACKS lb. WINGS lb. NECKS lb. GIBLETS lb. LIVERS lb. FRESH! GROUND BEEF or Country Style PORK SAUSAGE Your Choice . BUCK HUNTER SPECIAL! Midway SLAB BACON Vi or Whole Slab M . kMtv j j 1 vr:vk ssaassti 1 Jzk'mtm,' 1 FACIAL TISSUE 15 ? ART kTAOn CAL UVER& CHICKEN lAff Oil I rUUU KIDNEY & CHICKEN 6 OZ. TINS IVJr BOOK MATCHES 0H0, 10 j, COFFEE "LET . - 49 . . 97 j INSTANT COFFEE "rl .o, 79 .99 BISQUICK 1? 39 Z' 57 MINCED CLAMS 5 - 99 CHOCOLATE CHIPS ' 5-99 ICE CREAM DELUXE QUALITY Vi GAL. 69 SALAD DRESSING Chef's, French or Fruit & Slaw Boltlei 19 PRESTO LOGS 10-89 I 4 f- & 4 v TOMATOES Slicers iitllLeltuce large local Vine Ripe lb. Crisp Tondnr Solid Heads Ea. k50 Yellow Onions, WESTGATE BAKERY WESTGATE STORE ONLY Cake Donuts doz. Mania Bars 6 for lD 1 1 0 Cin. Rolls, in foil . . 2 for While Bread L. o Home Style L5 Evaporated Bordens - Tall Tin 1 MARGARINE NUMAR 1 -lb. P!;gs. CORN Payette Valley Cream Style or Whole Kernel 303 Tin CAKE MIX CINCH Asst. Flavors 16-oz. pkg. It 1 i 1 --'' V-TrmirfiiM - J MEDFORD-Wcstgate Center MEDFO&D-13th and Central ASHLAND-Gateway Shop. Center W Rcicrvi Tht Right To limit Pficei tlectit Wedneiday, Stpl. 25 v UMkOML SALE PRICE 3.69 3.69 3.69 3.69 3 49 4.98 3.98 3.98 4.98 3.98 .39 3.15 3.98 3.98 3.98 S.19 3.98 3.98 3.98 3.15 .75 .65 .60 .83 aa
