Ordering Books: The Development of a Modern American Book Trade

This thesis traces the influences of the Spanish, English, and German book trades upon social and economic structure of the developing American book trade from 1500 to1876. By focusing on the business of making and selling books, rather than their cultural value, the thesis uncovers some of the causes of the systemic problems that plagued the American book trade throughout the nineteenth century. After establishing the importance of the book trade to the discovery and conquest of the Americas, the thesis analyzes the business models developed by early colonial book producers, such as Juan Pablos, Elizabeth Glover, William Bradford, Benjamin Franklin, Christopher Saur, and Conrad Beissel. From that foundation, it explores the technical, economic, and social forces that influenced the development of the book trade in the United States, paying particular attention to the contributions of Fredrick Leypoldt and his associates, Henry Holt, Richard Rogers Bowker, and Melvil Dewey.