The Book Market in Post-Communist Countries, 1989-1994, using Poland as a Specific Example

The pace and nature of the changes which occurred in post-communist countries between 1989 and 1994 have produced a disorientation among observers of the book market, not least because of the lack of available data about the processes which affect that market. We do not have sufficiently precise information either on the number of participants, that is publishers, distributors, book stores or other sales points, or on the numbers of books published, or on the types of books purchased by individual readers and by libraries (for their own stock or for international exchange). In a word, we lack the data which is indispensable for an analysis of the market and its development. This paper will give specific data relating only to Poland. In other post-communist countries, the production and dissemination of books has followed a similar pattern, though differing in detail.