Tuesday, June 20 — This month 51 years ago, the Beatles’ song “Paperback Writer” topped the pop music charts in America. This ode to middlebrow writing aspirations followed by 107 years the introduction of paperback books by some earlier Beadles — the brothers Erastus and Irwin Beadle.
Cover of Malaeska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter (1860)
In June 1860, the New York City publishers issued the first paperback, called “Malaeska, the Indian Wife of the White Hunter. Termed a “dime novel” for its price, the title seems to foreshadow two common subjects in paperback history — Westerns and romance novels. Some 65,000 copies were sold.
Today, there are more than 2,600 book publishers in the U. S., a total that includes audio and digital books, along with hardbound and paperback volumes.
You can find more facts about America’s people, places and economy, from the American Community Survey here.
Follow Us