Paperback Book Day

There’s nothing like a printed book; the weight, the woody scent, the feel, the look.

E.A. Bucchianeri

Time was that books were sold bound in heavy wooden covers bound in leather and stitched to a spine, these books are durable and attractive, but they are also very… very… heavy. In the 19th century another technique of improving the printing and publishing of books came about, the paperback novel.

These books were easily portable, less expensive to produce, and provided a beautiful way to carry about one’s favorite book on their person. Paperback Book Day celebrates the creation of this new form of book, and the people who carry them around every day.

Learn about Paperback Book Day

A paperback book can also be referred to as a softback or a softcover. This is a type of book that is characterized by a paperboard cover or a thick paper cover. It is typically held together using glue, rather than staples or stitches. The opposite of this type of book is a hardback or hardcover book.

These books are bound with cardboard that is covered with leather, plastic, or cloth. Paper is used to create the pages inside of the book. Some of the best books are paper books. A publisher will typically go down this route because it is cheaper.

Therefore, the first edition of a masterpiece can often be in paperback form, and so it is not hard to see why Paperback Book Day is a day that we celebrate! Inexpensive books that have been bound in paper have been in existence since at least the 19th century. This includes forms such as airport novels, dime novels, yellowbacks, and pamphlets.

The paperbacks that are available today are differentiated by size. In the United States, there are more durable and bigger trade paperbacks, as well as mass-market paperbacks. There are different sizes in the UK. They have C-format, B-format, and A-format sizes.

History of Paperback Book Day

One of the things that led to lighter books being developed was the commonality of the railway. The railway was indeed a faster form of travel across vast distances, but one could still easily spend a week or more in a carriage as it covered the great expanses of countryside.

While books were a fine way to pass the time, they were dearly expensive and quite large and heavy, making them both risky to carry and inconvenient to read while on the road. So it was that the first paperback books were aimed at railway passengers.

Since that time paperback books have become increasingly popular for both their reduced price, as well as their portability. While modern advances have produced books even lighter yet in the form of digital readers and documents one can pull up on their phone, there’s still just nothing quite as satisfying as holding a book in your arms and curling yourself around it of a quiet evening. Paperback Book Day honors and exalts this practice of comfort and leisurely days.

Paperback Book Day is observed as the anniversary of the date that the first Penguin paperbacks were published in England back in 1935. Back in the day, only the hardcover books were of good literature. A lot of people did not have the money to purchase the harcovers, though.

They were also heavy to carry and very bulky. Times needed to change! Of course, paperback books existed prior to 1935. However, they were very cheap and the quality was poor. The paperback revolution was started by Sir Allen under the name penguin. Books were published under Penguin of some of the greater fiction authors, from Ernest Hemingway to Agatha Christie.

How to celebrate Paperback Book Day

The best way to celebrate Paperback Book Day is to curl up with your favorite paperback book. If it’s been a while since you’ve bought a proper book, this is your opportunity to do so. Get out there and find a copy of your favorite text, or even pass one on to another friend.

Then, when you’ve hit all the used book stores and perused the shelves of the nearest book stores, it’s time to come on home and look over your collection. Paperback Book Day recalls all those rainy quiet days spent reading a book while the drips ran down the windowpane.

If you are a fan of reading paperbacks, why not use Paperback Book Day to join a book club? There are lots of great book clubs all around the world, and so you are bound to find one in your local area. This is a great opportunity for you to read new books and discuss them with people who are just as enthusiastic as you are. If you do not want to join a book club, you can also find forums online whereby book enthusiasts talk with one another.

Another way that you can celebrate Paperback Book Day is by getting started on your own book. If you have been wanting to write your own book for quite some time now, now is the perfect opportunity to do so! They often say that getting started is the hard part. You do not need to write the next bestseller. You could even start writing your own journal. This is a good way to put down your thoughts at the end of the day. This can actually be a relaxing exercise, helping you to sleep better and carry less stress from day-to-day.