Interesting post in The Atlantic about the history of the paperback book - albeit, according to a book written in 1984 - and about how the rise in popularity and numbers of published paperbacks "...made an enormous contribution to our social, cultural, educational, and literary life."
Also, according to this piece (and the book, really), there were only 500 legitimate bookstores in the US in 1931. And while I've been bemoaning the dearth of bookstores in Indianapolis, my complaints seem so fickle with that figure in mind.
Check it out: http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/06/a-golden-age-of-books-there-were-only-500-real-bookstores-in-1931/258309/
