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The Bantam Story: Twenty-Five Years of Paperback Publishing
118 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
August 27, 2017
I mostly bought this for the sweet 60s cover art with all the books laid out just so with various applicable objects thrown in. It's a wonderful sample of what was being done back then in graphic design.
…I also went and read the book, which amounts to about 90 stiff little pages that unfold, in somewhat cramped type, the tale of the paperback book in the USA and elsewhere. Really, the book focuses more on what a paperback publishing company does in the here and now (1970) and what kind of waves and upsets go into that. Some of it is interesting, like hearing about printing presses and odd marketing schemes.
Naturally the book is weirdly dated in places, as one might expect from a book strutting about things considered important in its own time. With some semi-awareness, the book discusses different markets, like the “with-it” youth, the women's market (they're housewives who happen to be literate), and all the genre stuff they'd been peddling since the 50s.
It seems paperback novels had quite the stigma against them in the beginning, long not considered to be “real books”. It's like that bit in Billy Wilder's “The Sever Year Itch” where it goes on about how sexed-up paperback novels can be to increase sales (yes, the book admits this).
The only really tragic thing about reading through this was the constant shameless references to big titles and authors of that day that Bantam had managed to snag (Leon Uris, Jacqueline Suzanne, Arthur Hailey, Philip Roth). They pat themselves on the back for publishing books with such “bold” subject matter. There's also a bit about movie tie-ins and the film and book industries playing off one another to boost sales of both... which breaks down into an odd little tirade about the James Bond films being somehow inferior to Fleming's books (have you actually tried to read Fleming? Those films are vastly superior... well, at least the Connery ones were).
The real plus for me is that the book closes with a complete list of the books Bantam had in print in June of 1970.
…I also went and read the book, which amounts to about 90 stiff little pages that unfold, in somewhat cramped type, the tale of the paperback book in the USA and elsewhere. Really, the book focuses more on what a paperback publishing company does in the here and now (1970) and what kind of waves and upsets go into that. Some of it is interesting, like hearing about printing presses and odd marketing schemes.
Naturally the book is weirdly dated in places, as one might expect from a book strutting about things considered important in its own time. With some semi-awareness, the book discusses different markets, like the “with-it” youth, the women's market (they're housewives who happen to be literate), and all the genre stuff they'd been peddling since the 50s.
It seems paperback novels had quite the stigma against them in the beginning, long not considered to be “real books”. It's like that bit in Billy Wilder's “The Sever Year Itch” where it goes on about how sexed-up paperback novels can be to increase sales (yes, the book admits this).
The only really tragic thing about reading through this was the constant shameless references to big titles and authors of that day that Bantam had managed to snag (Leon Uris, Jacqueline Suzanne, Arthur Hailey, Philip Roth). They pat themselves on the back for publishing books with such “bold” subject matter. There's also a bit about movie tie-ins and the film and book industries playing off one another to boost sales of both... which breaks down into an odd little tirade about the James Bond films being somehow inferior to Fleming's books (have you actually tried to read Fleming? Those films are vastly superior... well, at least the Connery ones were).
The real plus for me is that the book closes with a complete list of the books Bantam had in print in June of 1970.
June 9, 2019
This is a biography of the publisher Bantam Books, the major mass-market paperback publishing company of the past century. (What its standing is now I have no idea... mass-market paperback publishing seems barely to be a thing nowadays.) The book was obviously commissioned by and is of course published by the company. Nonetheless, it is a fairly objective-seeming treatment of the company and the publishing industry in general.
I find it hard to actually *recommend* such a book, because I don’t know how many people will be really interested in the details it discusses: buying manuscripts, dealing with bookstores, the problem of returns, how to print a hundred thousand copies of an expected bestseller, distribution of millions of books across the world, the production of “instant books” (to commemorate a specific event), and financial issues. I found it somewhat interesting, in part because I was constantly testing the discussion with how things are going in the 21st century. People are not picking up paperbacks all the time in train stations, convenience stores, magazine shops, etc., which was the original marketing innovation of paperbacks. Many books are now published first (or primarily) as paperbacks rather than waiting for the hardback sales to start to wane. Paperback publishers often piggbacked their distributions onto magazine distributions, but who buys magazines in a store today?
A few problems described in the book still exist today, such as the vast number of books being published, far more than people can read. It is interesting that the industry cannot police itself to reduce that problem. It is a “tragedy of the commons” situation, in which every publisher expects to benefit by publishing another book, yet the industry as a whole suffers from too many books.
Bantam published many familiar books, ranging from The Pentagon Papers to my beloved Nero Wolfe novels and bestsellers like Portnoy’s Complaint, Jaws, Valley of the Dolls, and The Martian Chronicles. The first 20 titles Bantam ever released included The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, Wind, Sand, and Stars (St. Exupery), What Makes Sammy Run?, Life on the Mississippi, westerns, mysteries, and some completely forgotten items. I wonder if in 25 years all will be forgotten.
In sum, this is a classic example of, “If you are interested in this kind of book, you will find the book interesting.” I thought that there was less puffery than one would expect from a commissioned book published by the very company that is the book’s topic. There is very little in this book that will keep you up reading past your bedtime, but you may find that dipping into it from time to time does provide some food for thought.
I find it hard to actually *recommend* such a book, because I don’t know how many people will be really interested in the details it discusses: buying manuscripts, dealing with bookstores, the problem of returns, how to print a hundred thousand copies of an expected bestseller, distribution of millions of books across the world, the production of “instant books” (to commemorate a specific event), and financial issues. I found it somewhat interesting, in part because I was constantly testing the discussion with how things are going in the 21st century. People are not picking up paperbacks all the time in train stations, convenience stores, magazine shops, etc., which was the original marketing innovation of paperbacks. Many books are now published first (or primarily) as paperbacks rather than waiting for the hardback sales to start to wane. Paperback publishers often piggbacked their distributions onto magazine distributions, but who buys magazines in a store today?
A few problems described in the book still exist today, such as the vast number of books being published, far more than people can read. It is interesting that the industry cannot police itself to reduce that problem. It is a “tragedy of the commons” situation, in which every publisher expects to benefit by publishing another book, yet the industry as a whole suffers from too many books.
Bantam published many familiar books, ranging from The Pentagon Papers to my beloved Nero Wolfe novels and bestsellers like Portnoy’s Complaint, Jaws, Valley of the Dolls, and The Martian Chronicles. The first 20 titles Bantam ever released included The Grapes of Wrath, The Great Gatsby, Wind, Sand, and Stars (St. Exupery), What Makes Sammy Run?, Life on the Mississippi, westerns, mysteries, and some completely forgotten items. I wonder if in 25 years all will be forgotten.
In sum, this is a classic example of, “If you are interested in this kind of book, you will find the book interesting.” I thought that there was less puffery than one would expect from a commissioned book published by the very company that is the book’s topic. There is very little in this book that will keep you up reading past your bedtime, but you may find that dipping into it from time to time does provide some food for thought.
August 19, 2023
having grown up reading books created by a vastly different industry, this was fascinating, not only answering a lot of my questions about publishing and why certain changes took place in terms of genres and formats, but also briefly touching on seemingly minuscule developments that have become commonplace in literature today. (from the coinage and rationale behind "beach reads" to the invention of trade paperbacks, then just a tagalong little sibling to the major hardcovers and mass market paperbacks, now the most likely type of copy you'll find in an average reader's hands.)
it's about bantam, sure, but i loved that it covers the industry and its inner working as a whole, creating a bigger picture. very cool to learn that the mass market paperback literally started out with publishers like bantam specializing in acquiring rights to chosen titles to republish and reprint them in pocket size, which were made available in newsstands, supermarkets, train stations, and even out of carts and on the street in faraway developing countries. it was a revolution that made literature not only more accessible and affordable, but also open to more diverse and weirder genres (i.e. pulp fiction).
there are chapters dedicated to distribution and, more importantly to me, the printing process itself, which still consisted of molded plates. in the final chapter it was noted that the youth market was one they were keeping an eye on, with an executive wondering what young people would be interested in reading in the future. unexpected but quite nice to end with. the term "young adult" did not make a single appearance in the text—but it's exciting if you have the knowledge of another literary revolution led by ya.
i still don't exactly know how mass market paperbacks (my favorite format; my vintage collection is the reason i'm so interested in bantam and why i aggressively sought this book in the first place) went out of style, but the book sort of leaves a trail of breadcrumbs: publishers launching their own paperback divisions and the aforementioned creation of trade pbs, to start with.
i'm wistful that i'll never get to experience picking up freshly printed kitschy green-edged sci-fi novel while i'm waiting for my train, and still it fills me with wonder to be able to see the world bantam and its contemporaries have been able to make possible for readers like me.
it's about bantam, sure, but i loved that it covers the industry and its inner working as a whole, creating a bigger picture. very cool to learn that the mass market paperback literally started out with publishers like bantam specializing in acquiring rights to chosen titles to republish and reprint them in pocket size, which were made available in newsstands, supermarkets, train stations, and even out of carts and on the street in faraway developing countries. it was a revolution that made literature not only more accessible and affordable, but also open to more diverse and weirder genres (i.e. pulp fiction).
there are chapters dedicated to distribution and, more importantly to me, the printing process itself, which still consisted of molded plates. in the final chapter it was noted that the youth market was one they were keeping an eye on, with an executive wondering what young people would be interested in reading in the future. unexpected but quite nice to end with. the term "young adult" did not make a single appearance in the text—but it's exciting if you have the knowledge of another literary revolution led by ya.
i still don't exactly know how mass market paperbacks (my favorite format; my vintage collection is the reason i'm so interested in bantam and why i aggressively sought this book in the first place) went out of style, but the book sort of leaves a trail of breadcrumbs: publishers launching their own paperback divisions and the aforementioned creation of trade pbs, to start with.
i'm wistful that i'll never get to experience picking up freshly printed kitschy green-edged sci-fi novel while i'm waiting for my train, and still it fills me with wonder to be able to see the world bantam and its contemporaries have been able to make possible for readers like me.
July 29, 2023
Very interesting overview about a little bit of the process that started paperback publishing, what it meant for authors and businesses, and how they go about doing so. The cover is very cool.
April 1, 2014
A house book for Bantam. Fairly journalistic, gives a quick overview of how print publishing was set-up in the 20th century. Print's post-war volume and ubiquity is as difficult for me to picture as accounts of the swarms of animals that covered North America during the first few centuries of European settlement.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews