Early History - The practice of making extra copies of manuscripts
goes back to ancient times; in Rome there were booksellers—Horace
mentions the Sosii, who were apparently brothers—and the
copying of books by trained slaves reached considerable proportions.
With the introduction of printing into Europe in the middle of
the 15th cent. (see type ), book publishing sprang into lively
existence.
The author, the printer, and the publisher of a work were sometimes
all the same person, as in the case of members of the Estienne
family in France in the 16th cent. The differentiation of printer,
publisher, and bookseller appeared early, however, as patrons
of literature had books printed for distribution and booksellers
had their printing done by others to meet the growing demand.
The Emergence of Publishing Houses - The first important publishing
house (1583-1791) was that of the Elzevir family in Holland
(see Elzevir, Louis ). The Elzevirs were businessmen rather
than scholars, and the business of bookselling grew as literacy
increased. Concurrently, printing, publishing, and bookselling
spread learning across the West.
Religious controversy bred polemics, and arguments printed in
broadsides, pamphlets, and books were handed out zealously and
bought eagerly by partisans. An interest in knowing the future
also increased the amount of literature issued by bookseller-publishers,
and almanacs and the like were issued for the wider public.
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