From Dry Goods Merchant to Internet Mogul: Bookselling through American History
From Dry Goods Merchant to Internet Mogul: Bookselling through American History
This chapter examines the evolution of bookselling in the U.S. since the Civil War. It shows how the retail scene evolved from a highly decentralized group of small booksellers and marginal wholesalers to one dominated by large chains and national distributors employing sophisticated managerial and merchandising techniques to rationalize their work. This chapter suggests that the bookstore chains not only led or institutionalized significant changes within the book industry, but they helped to alter Americans' perceptions of bookstores and book buying.
Keywords: bookselling, U.S., booksellers, marginal wholesalers, bookstore chains, book industry, book buying
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