View source for Book

{{Short description|Medium consisting of pages of text or images}}
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[[File:Gutenberg Bible, Lenox Copy, New York Public Library, 2009. Pic 01.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright=1.35|The [[Gutenberg Bible]], published in the mid-15th century, one of the [[editio princeps|first books to be printed]] using the [[printing press]]]]
{{Literature}}A '''book''' is a structured presentation of recorded [[information]], primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, [[electronic book]]s and [[audiobook]]s are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, mostly of writing and images. Modern books are typically composed of many pages [[Bookbinding|bound]] together and protected by a [[Book cover|cover]], what is known as the ''[[codex]]'' format; older formats include the [[scroll]] and the [[Clay tablet|tablet]].

As a [[conceptual object]], a ''book'' often refers to a [[written]] work of substantial length by one or more [[author]]s, which may also be distributed digitally as an electronic book ([[ebook]]). These kinds of works can be broadly [[Library classification|classified]] into [[fiction]] (containing invented content, often narratives) and [[non-fiction]] (containing content intended as factual truth). But a physical book may not contain a written work: for example, it may contain ''only'' [[drawing]]s, engravings, [[photograph]]s, [[sheet music]], [[puzzle]]s, or removable content like [[paper doll]]s.

The modern book industry has seen several major changes due to new technologies, including ebooks and [[audiobook]]s (recordings of books being read aloud). Awareness of the needs of [[Print disability|print-disabled]] people has led to a rise in [[Accessible publishing|formats designed for greater accessibility]] such as [[braille]] printing and [[large-print]] editions.

[[Google Books]] estimated in 2010 that approximately 130 million total unique books had been [[published]]. The book publishing process is the series of steps involved in book creation and dissemination. [[Bookselling|Books are sold]] at both regular stores and specialized bookstores, as well as online (for delivery), and can be borrowed from [[Library|libraries]] or [[public bookcase]]s. The [[Literary criticism|reception of books]] has led to a number of social consequences, including [[Book censorship|censorship]].

Books are sometimes contrasted with [[periodical literature]], such as newspapers or magazines, where new editions are published according to a regular schedule. Related items, also broadly categorized as "books", are left empty for personal use: as in the case of [[Bookkeeping|account books]], appointment books, [[autograph book]]s, [[notebook]]s, [[Diary|diaries]] and [[sketchbook]]s.

== Etymology ==
The word ''book'' comes from the [[Old English]] {{lang|ang|bōc}}, which in turn likely comes from the [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] root {{lang|gem-x-proto|*bōk-}}, [[cognate]] to "[[beech]]".<ref>{{Cite web |title=book {{!}} Etymology, origin and meaning of book |url=https://www.etymonline.com/word/book |access-date=2023-03-21 |website=Online Etymology Dictionary |language=en |archive-date=June 27, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170627174353/http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=book |url-status=live }}</ref> In [[Slavic languages]] like [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]], [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]] {{lang|ru|буква}} {{lang|ru-Latn|bukva}}—"letter"  is cognate with "beech". In [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Serbian language|Serbian]] and [[Macedonian language|Macedonian]], the word {{lang|ru|букварь}} ({{lang|ru-Latn|bukvar'}}) or {{lang|sr-Cyrl|буквар}} ({{lang|sr-Latn|bukvar}}) refers to a primary school textbook that helps young children master the techniques of reading and writing. It is thus conjectured that the earliest [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] writings may have been carved on beech wood.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.northvegr.org/holy/b.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081103044850/http://www.northvegr.org/holy/b.php |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 3, 2008 |title=Northvegr – Holy Language Lexicon |date=November 3, 2008 |access-date=December 30, 2016 }}</ref> The Latin word {{lang|la|codex}}, meaning a book in the modern sense (bound and with separate leaves), originally meant "block of wood".<ref>{{Cite web |title=codex |url=https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095621448 |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=Oxford Reference |language=en |archive-date=May 9, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220509210027/https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095621448 |url-status=live }}</ref>

An avid reader or collector of books is a bibliophile, or colloquially a "[[bookworm]]".<ref>{{cite dictionary |dictionary=Merriam Webster |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bibliophile |entry=Bibliophile |date=4 March 2025 |title=Thesaurus results for BIBLIOPHILE }}</ref>

== Definitions ==
In its modern incarnation, a book is typically composed of many pages (commonly of [[paper]], [[parchment]], or [[vellum]]) that are bound together along one edge and protected by a cover. By extension, ''book'' refers to a physical book's written, printed, or graphic contents.{{sfn|Feather|Sturges|2003|p=41}} A single part or division of a longer written work may also be called a ''book'', especially for some works composed in antiquity: each part of [[Aristotle]]'s ''[[Physics (Aristotle)|Physics]]'', for example, is a book.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal |date=2014-03-04 |title=ALA Glossary of Library and Information Science (4th edition) |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/nlw-10-2013-0076 |journal=New Library World |volume=115 |issue=3/4 |pages=193 |doi=10.1108/nlw-10-2013-0076 |issn=0307-4803|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

It is difficult to create a precise definition of the book that clearly delineates it from other kinds of written material across time and culture. The meaning of the term has changed substantially over time with the evolution of communication media.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Johnson |first=Miriam J. |date=2019-03-01 |title=What is a Book? Redefining the Book in the Digitally Social Age |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12109-018-9622-z |journal=Publishing Research Quarterly |language=en |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=68–78 |doi=10.1007/s12109-018-9622-z |issn=1936-4792}}</ref> Historian of books [[James Raven]] has suggested that when studying how books have been used to communicate, they should be defined in a broadly inclusive way as "portable, durable, replicable and legible" means of recording and disseminating information, rather than relying on physical or contextual features. This would include, for example, ebooks, [[newspaper]]s, and [[quipu]]s (a form of knot-based recording historically used by cultures in [[Andes|Andean]] [[South America]]), but not objects fixed in place such as inscribed monuments.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-10-01 |title=What Exactly Do We Mean By a Book? |url=https://lithub.com/what-exactly-do-we-mean-by-a-book/ |access-date=2024-02-06 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780192886897.001.0001 |title=The Oxford History of the Book |date=2023-03-23 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=978-0-19-288689-7 |editor-last=Raven |editor-first=James |location=Oxford |doi=10.1093/oso/9780192886897.001.0001}}</ref>

A stricter definition is given by [[UNESCO]]: for the purpose of recording national statistics on book production, it recommended that a book be defined as "a non-periodical printed publication of at least 49 pages, exclusive of the cover pages, published in the country and made available to the public", distinguishing them from other written material such as [[pamphlet]]s.{{sfn|Feather|Sturges|2003|p=41}}<ref>{{Citation |title=Revised Recommendation Concerning the International Standardization of Statistics on the Production and Distribution of Books, Newspapers and Periodicals 1 November 1985 |work=Standard-Setting at UNESCO |date=2007 |pages=593–604 |url=https://doi.org/10.1163/ej.9789004164543.1-0.64 |access-date=2024-02-02 |publisher=Martinus Nijhoff Publishers |language=en-US |doi=10.1163/ej.9789004164543.1-0.64|doi-broken-date=February 27, 2025 |isbn=978-90-04-16454-3 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Kovač ''et al.'' have critiqued this definition for failing to account for new digital formats. They propose four criteria (a minimum length; textual content; a form with defined boundaries; and "information architecture" like linear structure and certain textual elements) that form a "hierarchy of the book", in which formats that fulfill more criteria are considered more similar to the traditional printed book.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kovač |first1=Miha |last2=Phillips |first2=Angus |last3=van der Weel |first3=Adriaan |last4=Wischenbart |first4=Ruediger |date=2019-09-01 |title=What is a Book? |url=https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12109-019-09665-5 |journal=Publishing Research Quarterly |language=en |volume=35 |issue=3 |pages=313–326 |doi=10.1007/s12109-019-09665-5 |issn=1936-4792|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Wischenbart |first=Ruediger |date=2008-01-15 |title=Ripping off the cover: Has digitization changed what's really in the book? |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/logo.2008.19.4.196 |journal=Logos |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=196–202 |doi=10.1163/logo.2008.19.4.196 |issn=0957-9656|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

Although in academic language a [[monograph]] is a specialist work on a single subject, in [[library and information science]] the term is used more broadly to mean any non-serial publication complete in one [[Volume (bibliography)|volume]] (a physical book) or a definite number of volumes (such as a multi-volume novel), in contrast to [[Serial (publishing)|serial]] or [[Periodical literature|periodical publications]].{{sfn|Feather|Sturges|2003|p=429}}<ref name=":1" />

== History ==
{{main|History of books}}

[[File:Jingangjing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.15|The intricate frontispiece of the [[Diamond Sutra]] from [[Tang dynasty]] China, i.e. 868 CE, the oldest known dated printed book in the world ([[British Library]])]]

The history of books became an acknowledged academic discipline in the 1980s. Contributions to the field have come from [[textual scholarship]], [[codicology]], [[bibliography]], [[philology]], [[palaeography]], [[art history]], [[social history]] and [[cultural history]]. It aims to demonstrate that the book as an object, not just the text contained within it, is a conduit of interaction between readers and words. Analysis of each component part of the book can reveal its purpose, where and how it was kept, who read it, ideological and [[religious beliefs]] of the period, and whether readers interacted with the text within. Even a lack of such evidence can leave valuable clues about the nature of a particular book.

The earliest forms of writing were etched on tablets, transitioning to palm leaves and papyrus in ancient times. Parchment and paper later emerged as important substrates for bookmaking, introducing greater durability and accessibility.<ref name="Blair-1997">{{Cite book |last1=Blair |first1=Sheila |title=Islamic Arts |last2=Bloom |first2=Jonathan |publisher=Phaidon |year=1997 |location=London |pages=193–220 |chapter=Penmen and Painters: The Arts of the Book}}</ref> Across regions like [[China]], the [[Middle East]], [[Europe]], and [[South Asia]], diverse methods of book production evolved. The Middle Ages saw the rise of illuminated manuscripts, intricately blending text and imagery, particularly during the Mughal era in South Asia under the patronage of rulers like Akbar and Shah Jahan.<ref name="Hillenbrand-2002">{{Cite book |last=Hillenbrand |first=Robert |title=The Legacy of Genghis Khan |year=2002 |location=New York |pages=134–167 |chapter=The Arts of the Book in Ilkhanid Iran}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Sardar |first=Marika |date=October 2003 |title=The Art of the Mughals after 1600 |url=http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mugh_2/hd_mugh_2.htm |journal=Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History |location=New York |via=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=2021-05-21 |archive-date=2021-06-01 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210601151745/https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/mugh_2/hd_mugh_2.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Prior to the invention of the [[printing press]] in the 15th century, made famous by the [[Gutenberg Bible]], each text was a unique handcrafted valuable article, personalized through the design features incorporated by the scribe, owner, bookbinder, and illustrator.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pearson |first=David |title=Books As History: The Importance of Books Beyond Their Texts |publisher=The British Library and Oak Knoll Press |year=2011 |isbn=978-0-7123-5832-3 |location=London |pages=23}}</ref> Its creation marked a pivotal moment for book production. Innovations like movable type and steam-powered presses accelerated manufacturing processes and contributed to increased literacy rates. Copyright protection also emerged, securing authors' rights and shaping the publishing landscape.<ref name="Lyons-2011">{{Cite book |last=Lyons |first=Martyn |title=Books: A Living History |publisher=Getty Publications |year=2011 |isbn=978-1-60606-083-4 |location=Los Angeles |page=116}}</ref> The Late Modern Period introduced [[chapbook]]s, catering to a wider range of readers, and mechanization of the printing process further enhanced efficiency.

The 20th century witnessed the advent of typewriters, computers, and desktop publishing, transforming document creation and printing. Digital advancements in the 21st century led to the rise of ebooks, propelled by the popularity of ereaders and accessibility features. While discussions about the potential decline of physical books have surfaced, print media has proven remarkably resilient, continuing to thrive as a multi-billion dollar industry.<ref name="Ballatore-2015">{{cite journal |last1=Ballatore |first1=Andrea |last2=Natale |first2=Simone |date=2015-05-18 |title=E-readers and the death of the book: Or, new media and the myth of the disappearing medium |url=http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/05/18/1461444815586984 |journal=New Media & Society |volume=18 |issue=10 |pages=2379–2394 |doi=10.1177/1461444815586984 |issn=1461-4448 |s2cid=39026072 |hdl=2318/1768949 |access-date=2015-09-16 |archive-date=2016-03-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315084006/http://nms.sagepub.com/content/early/2015/05/18/1461444815586984 |url-status=live |hdl-access=free }}</ref> Additionally, efforts to make literature more inclusive emerged, with the development of Braille for the visually impaired and the creation of spoken books, providing alternative ways for individuals to access and enjoy literature.<ref name="BrailleWorks-2018">{{Cite news |title=History of Braille |language=en-US |work=Braille Works |url=https://brailleworks.com/braille-resources/history-of-braille/ |access-date=2018-07-25 |archive-date=2018-07-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180726072258/https://brailleworks.com/braille-resources/history-of-braille/ |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Instructions of Shurrupak, Sumerian proverb collection, c. 2400 BC - Oriental Institute Museum, University of Chicago - DSC07114.JPG|thumb|upright|Fragments of the [[Instructions of Shuruppak]], dated to the early [[3rd millennium BC]]]]

=== Tablet ===
{{Main|Clay tablet|Wax tablet}}Some of the earliest written records were made on tablets. Clay tablets (flattened pieces of clay impressed with a [[stylus]]) were used in the [[Ancient Near East]] throughout the [[Bronze Age]] and well into the [[Iron Age]], especially for writing in [[cuneiform]]. Wax tablets (pieces of wood covered in a layer of wax) were used in [[classical antiquity]] and throughout the [[Middle Ages]].

The custom of binding several wax tablets together (Roman ''pugillares'') is a possible precursor of modern bound books.<ref>{{cite book |last=Avrin |first=Leila |date=2010 |title=Scribes, Script, and Books: The Book Arts from Antiquity to the Renaissance |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=9780838910382 |page=173}}</ref> The etymology of the word ''codex'' (block of wood) suggests that it may have developed from wooden wax tablets.<ref>{{cite book| last = Bischoff| first = Bernhard| others = Dáibhí ó Cróinin| title = Latin palaeography antiquity and the Middle Ages| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=CFZgQgAACAAJ| year = 1990| publisher = Cambridge University Press| location = Cambridge| isbn = 978-0-521-36473-7| page = 11| access-date = August 29, 2020| archive-date = August 21, 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210821053657/https://books.google.com/books?id=CFZgQgAACAAJ| url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Scroll ===
{{main|Scroll}}
[[File:BD Hunefer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|''[[Book of the Dead]]'' of [[Hunefer]]; c.&nbsp;1275&nbsp;BC; ink and pigments on [[papyrus]]; 45 × 90.5&nbsp;cm; [[British Museum]] (London)]]
Scrolls made from [[papyrus]] were first used for writing in [[Ancient Egypt]], perhaps as early as the [[First Dynasty of Egypt|First Dynasty]], although the earliest evidence is from the account books of King [[Neferirkare Kakai]] of the Fifth Dynasty (about 2400 BC). According to [[Herodotus]] (History 5:58), the [[Phoenicians]] brought writing and papyrus to [[Greece]] around the 10th or 9th century BC. Whether made from papyrus, parchment, or paper, scrolls were the dominant writing medium in the [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]], Roman, Chinese, [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and Macedonian cultures. The codex dominated in the Roman world by [[late antiquity]], but scrolls persisted much longer in Asia.{{Citation needed|date=February 2024}}

=== Codex ===
{{main|Codex}}
[[File:Bamboo book - binding - UCR.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Chinese [[bamboo and wooden slips|bamboo book]]s meet the modern definition of ''codex''. This particular bamboo book is a copy of [[Sun Tzu]]'s ''[[The Art of War]]''.]]
The codex is the ancestor of the modern book, consisting of sheets of uniform size [[bookbinding|bound]] along one edge and typically held between two covers made of some more robust material. [[Isidore of Seville]] (died 636) explained the then-current relation between a codex, book, and scroll in his ''[[Etymologiae]]'' (VI.13): "A codex is composed of many books; a book is of one scroll. It is called codex by way of metaphor from the trunks (''codex'') of trees or vines, as if it were a wooden stock, because it contains in itself a multitude of books, as it were of branches".

The first written mention of the codex as a form of book is from [[Martial]], in his ''Apophoreta'' <small>CLXXXIV</small> at the end of the first century, where he praises its compactness. However, the codex never gained much popularity in the pagan Hellenistic world, and only within the Christian community did it gain widespread use.<ref>''The Cambridge History of Early Christian Literature''. Edd. Frances Young, Lewis Ayres, Andrew Louth, Ron White. Cambridge University Press 2004, pp. 8–9.</ref> This change happened gradually during the 3rd and 4th centuries, and the reasons for adopting the codex form of the book were several: the format was more economical than the scroll, as both sides of the writing material can be used; and it was portable, searchable, and easier to conceal. The Christian [[author]]s may also have wanted to distinguish their writings from the pagan and Judaic texts written on scrolls.

The codices of [[pre-Columbian Mesoamerica]] had the same form as the European codex, but were instead made with long folded strips of either fig bark ([[amatl]]) or plant fibers, often with a layer of [[whitewash]] applied before writing. [[New World]] codices were written as late as the 16th century (see [[Maya codices]] and [[Aztec codex|Aztec codices]]). Those written before the Spanish conquests seem all to have been single long sheets folded concertina-style, sometimes written on both sides of the local ''[[amatl]]'' paper.

=== Manuscript ===
{{main|Manuscript}}
{{See also|Palm-leaf manuscript}}
[[File:RomanVirgilFolio014rVergilPortrait.jpg|thumb|left|Folio 14 recto of the 5th-century [[Vergilius Romanus]] contains an [[author portrait]] of [[Virgil]]. Note the bookcase (''capsa''), reading stand and the text written without word spacing in [[rustic capitals]].]]

Manuscripts, handwritten and hand-copied documents, were the only form of writing before the invention and widespread adoption of print. Advances were made in the techniques used to create them.

In the early [[Western Roman Empire]], [[Monastery|monasteries]] continued [[Latin literature|Latin]] writing traditions related to [[Christianity as the Roman state religion|Christianity]], and the clergy were the predominant readers and copyists. The bookmaking process was long and laborious. They were usually written on [[parchment]] or [[vellum]], writing surfaces made from processed animal skin. The parchment had to be prepared, then the unbound pages were planned and ruled with a blunt tool or lead, after which the text was written by a [[scribe]], who usually left blank areas for illustration and [[rubrication]]. Finally, it was bound by a bookbinder.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Diehl |first=Edith |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/7027090 |title=Bookbinding : its background and technique |date=1980 |publisher=Dover Publications |isbn=0-486-24020-7 |location=New York |pages=14–16 |oclc=7027090}}</ref>

Because of the difficulties involved in making and copying books, they were expensive and rare. Smaller monasteries usually had only a few dozen books. By the 9th century, larger collections held around 500 volumes and even at the end of the Middle Ages, the papal library in [[Avignon]] and Paris library of the [[University of Paris|Sorbonne]] held only around 2,000 volumes.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Joachim |first=Martin D. |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/683191430 |title=Historical Aspects of Cataloging and Classification |date=2003 |publisher=Haworth Information Press |isbn=9780789019813 |location=New York |pages=452 |oclc=683191430 |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327190225/https://www.worldcat.org/title/683191430 |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The rise of universities in the 13th century led to an increased demand for books, and a new system for copying appeared. The books were divided into unbound leaves (''pecia''), which were lent out to different copyists, so the speed of book production was considerably increased. The system was maintained by secular [[stationery|stationers]] guilds, which produced both religious and non-religious material.<ref>Bernhard Bischoff. ''Latin Palaeography'', pp. 42–43.</ref>[[File:Tavernier Jean Mielot.jpg|thumb|left|Burgundian author and scribe [[Jean Miélot]], from his ''Miracles de Notre Dame'', 15th century]]In India, bound manuscripts made of birch bark or palm leaf had existed since antiquity.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kelting |first=M. Whitney |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=elcn1IEJ3CEC&q=saraswati+kankali+tila&pg=PA65 |title=Singing to the Jinas: Jain Laywomen, Mandal Singing, and the Negotiations of Jain Devotion |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2001 |isbn=978-0-19-803211-3 |language=en |access-date=October 15, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211214094337/https://books.google.com/books?id=elcn1IEJ3CEC&q=saraswati+kankali+tila&pg=PA65 |archive-date=December 14, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> The text in [[Palm-leaf manuscript|palm leaf manuscripts]] was inscribed with a knife pen on rectangular cut and cured palm leaf sheets; coloring was then applied to the surface and wiped off, leaving the ink in the incised grooves. Each sheet typically had a hole through which a string could pass, and with these the sheets were tied together with a string to bind like a book.

=== Woodblock printing ===
[[File:Traditional_Bagh_hand_block_print_master_craftsman-artisan-artist_Mohammed_Bilal_Khatri,_Madhya_Pradesh,_India.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Bagh print]], a traditional woodblock printing technique that originated in [[Bagh, Dhar|Bagh]], Madhya Pradesh, [[India]]]]{{Main|Woodblock printing}}
In woodblock printing, a relief image of an entire page is carved into blocks of wood, inked, and used to print copies of that page. It originated in the [[Han dynasty]] before 220 AD, used to print [[textiles]] and later paper, and was widely used throughout [[East Asia]]. The oldest dated book printed by this method is ''[[The Diamond Sutra]]'' (868 AD). The method (called [[woodcut]] when used in art) arrived in Europe in the early 14th century. Books (known as [[Woodblock printing|block-books]]), as well as [[playing-cards]] and [[old master print|religious pictures]], began to be produced by this method. Creating an entire book was a painstaking process, requiring a hand-carved block for each page, and the wooden blocks could crack if stored for too long.

=== Movable type and incunabula ===
{{main|Movable type|Incunable}}

[[File:SelectedTeachingsofBuddhistSagesandSonMasters1377.jpg|thumb|left|''Selected Teachings of Buddhist Sages and Son Masters'', the earliest known book printed with movable metal type, printed in Korea, in 1377, {{Lang|fr|[[Bibliothèque nationale de France]]|italic=no}}]]

The Chinese inventor [[Bi Sheng]] made [[movable type]] of earthenware {{Circa|1045}}, but there are no known surviving examples of his printing. Around 1450, [[Johannes Gutenberg]] independently invented movable type in Europe, along with innovations in casting the type based on a matrix and [[hand mould]]. This invention gradually made books less expensive to produce and more widely available. Early printed books, single sheets and images which were created before 1501 in Europe are known as [[incunable]]s or ''incunabula''.<ref>[[Michael Clapham (industrialist)|Clapham, Michael]], "Printing" in ''A History of Technology'', Vol 2. ''From the Renaissance to the Industrial Revolution'', edd. Charles Singer ''et al.'' (Oxford 1957), p. 377. Cited from [[Elizabeth L. Eisenstein]], ''The Printing Press as an Agent of Change'' (Cambridge University, 1980).</ref>

[[File:Bucheinband.15.Jh.r.Inkunabel.jpg|thumb|upright|A 15th-century [[Incunable]]]]

=== 19th century to present ===
Steam-powered printing presses became popular in the early 19th century. These machines could print 1,100 sheets per hour,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Bruckner |first1=D. J. R. |title=How the Earlier Media Achieved Critical Mass: Printing Press;Yelling 'Stop the Presses!' Didn't Happen Overnight |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/20/business/earlier-media-achieved-critical-mass-printing-press-yelling-stop-presses-didn-t.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=13 August 2020 |date=20 November 1995 |archive-date=July 1, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701112056/http://www.nytimes.com/1995/11/20/business/earlier-media-achieved-critical-mass-printing-press-yelling-stop-presses-didn-t.html |url-status=live }}</ref> but workers could only set 2,000 letters per hour.{{Citation needed|date=April 2011}} [[Monotype system|Monotype]] and [[linotype machine|linotype]] typesetting machines were introduced in the late 19th century. They could set more than 6,000 letters per hour and an entire line of type at once. There have been numerous improvements in the printing press. In mid-20th century, European book production had risen to over 200,000 titles per year.

During the 20th century, libraries faced an ever-increasing rate of publishing, sometimes called an [[information explosion]]. The advent of [[electronic publishing]] and the [[internet]] means that new information is often published online rather than in printed books, for example through a [[digital library]]. "[[Print on demand]]" technologies, which make it possible to print as few as one book at a time, have made self-publishing (and [[vanity publishing]]) much easier and more affordable, and has allowed publishers to keep low-selling books in print rather than declaring them out of print.

== Contemporary publishing ==
{{Main|Publishing}}
Presently, books are typically produced by a publishing company in order to be put on the market by distributors and bookstores. The publisher negotiates a formal legal agreement with [[author]]s in order to obtain the [[copyright]] to works, then arranges for them to be produced and sold. The major steps of the publishing process are: editing and proofreading the work to be published; designing the printed book; manufacturing the books; and selling the books, including marketing and promotion. Each of these steps is usually taken on by third-party companies paid by the publisher.{{sfn|Feather|Sturges|2003|pp=42-44}} This is in contrast to [[self-publishing]], where an author pays for the production and distribution of their own work and manages some or all steps of the publishing process.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-10-05 |title=What is the difference between traditional publishing and self-publishing? |url=https://canadianauthors.org/national/faq/what-is-the-difference-between-traditional-publishing-and-self-publishing/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=[[Canadian Authors Association]] |language=en-US}}</ref>

English-language publishing is currently dominated by the so-called "Big Five" publishers: [[Penguin Random House]], [[Hachette Book Group]], [[HarperCollins]], [[Simon & Schuster]], and [[Macmillan Publishers]]. They were estimated to make up almost 60 percent of the market for general-readership books in 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Memorandum Opinion [Redacted] {{!}} United States Department of Justice |url=https://www.justice.gov/atr/case-document/file/1549941 |access-date=2024-02-04 |website=www.justice.gov}}</ref>

=== Design ===
{{Main|Book design}}

Book design is the art of incorporating the content, style, format, design, and sequence of the various elements of a book into a coherent unit.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lee|first=Marshall |title=Bookmaking: Editing, Design, Production|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OejMV-cELwUC|edition=3rd|year=2004|publisher=W. W. Norton and Company|location=New York|isbn=978-0-393-73018-0}}</ref>

==== Layout ====
{{See also|Page layout}}
{{anchor|Belly band|Flap|Head|Fore edge|Tail|Gutter}}
[[File:Bookinfo.svg|thumb|350px|Diagram of a book
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|{{ordered list|Belly band|Flap|[[Endpaper]]|[[Book cover|Cover]]|Head|Fore edge|Tail|[[Recto and verso|Right page]] (''[[recto]]'' if printing is left to right, ''[[verso]]'' if right to left)|[[Recto and verso|Left page]] (''verso'' if printing is left to right, ''recto'' if right to left)|Gutter}}}}]]
Modern books are organized according to a particular format called the book's ''layout''. Although there is great variation in layout, modern books tend to adhere to a set of rules with regard to what the parts of the layout are and what their content usually includes. A basic layout will include a ''front cover'', a ''back cover'' and the book's content which is called its ''body copy'' or ''content pages''. The front cover often bears the book's title (and subtitle, if any) and the name of its author or editor(s). The ''inside front cover'' page is usually left blank in both hardcover and paperback books. The next section, if present, is the book's ''front matter'', which includes all textual material after the front cover but not part of the book's content such as a foreword, a dedication, a table of contents and publisher data such as the book's edition or printing number and place of publication. Between the body copy and the back cover goes the ''end matter'' which would include any indices, sets of tables, diagrams, glossaries or lists of cited works (though an edited book with several authors usually places cited works at the end of each authored chapter). The ''inside back cover'' page, like that inside the front cover, is usually blank. The ''back cover'' is the usual place for the book's [[ISBN]] and maybe a photograph of the author(s)/ editor(s), perhaps with a short introduction to them. Also here often appear plot summaries, barcodes and excerpted reviews of the book.<ref name="ShellyStarks2011">{{cite book |author1=Gary B. Shelly |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PSQJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA559 |title=Microsoft Publisher 2010: Comprehensive |author2=Joy L. Starks |date=2011 |publisher=Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-133-17147-8 |page=559 |access-date=December 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191221193213/https://books.google.com/books?id=PSQJAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA559 |archive-date=December 21, 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The body of the books is usually divided into parts, chapters, sections and sometimes subsections that are composed of at least a paragraph or more.

==== Size ====
{{Main|Book size}}
The size of a book is generally measured by the height against the width of a leaf, or sometimes the height and width of its cover.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Roberts |first1=Matt |title=Bookbinding and the conservation of books: a dictionary of descriptive terminology |last2=Etherington |first2=Don |date=1982 |publisher=Library of Congress |others=Library of Congress |isbn=978-0-8444-0366-3 |location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> A series of terms commonly used by contemporary libraries and publishers for the general sizes of modern books ranges from ''[[folio]]'' (the largest), to ''[[quarto]]'' (smaller) and ''[[octavo]]'' (still smaller). Historically, these terms referred to the format of the book, a technical term used by printers and bibliographers to indicate the size of a leaf in terms of the size of the original sheet. For example, a quarto was a book printed on sheets of paper folded in half twice, with the first fold at right angles to the second, to produce 4 leaves (or 8 pages), each leaf one fourth the size of the original sheet printed – note that a ''leaf'' refers to the single piece of paper, whereas a ''page'' is one side of a leaf. Because the actual format of many modern books cannot be determined from examination of the books, bibliographers may not use these terms in scholarly descriptions.

==== Illustration ====
{{Main|Book illustration}}
[[File:Randolph Caldecott illustration2.jpg|thumb|alt=illustration of crowing rooster facing the rising sun with a man, dressed in nightcap and sleeping gown, leaning out the window. Background shows two small figures walking along a fenced road.|Illustration from "[[This Is the House That Jack Built|The House that Jack Built]]" in ''The Complete Collection of Pictures & Songs''; engraving and printing by [[Edmund Evans]], illustration by [[Randolph Caldecott]] (1887)]]
While some form of book illustration has existed since the invention of writing, the modern Western tradition of illustration began with 15th-century [[block book]]s, in which the book's text and images were cut into the same block.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Chris |date=2016-01-14 |title=A Brief History of Book Illustration |url=https://lithub.com/a-brief-history-of-book-illustration/ |access-date=2024-08-28 |website=Literary Hub |language=en-US}}</ref> Techniques such as [[engraving]], [[etching]], and [[lithography]] have also been influential.

=== Manufacturing ===
[[File:Urval av de bocker som har vunnit Nordiska radets litteraturpris under de 50 ar som priset funnits (2).jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|Several book spines displayed on a shelf]]The methods used for the printing and binding of books continued fundamentally unchanged from the 15th century into the early 20th century. While there was more [[mechanization]], a [[book printer]] in 1900 still used movable metal type assembled into words, lines, and pages to create copies. Modern paper books are printed on [[Printing and writing paper|paper designed specifically for printing]]. Traditionally, book papers are off-white or low-white papers (easier to read), are opaque to minimize the show-through of text from one side of the page to the other and are (usually) made to tighter [[caliper]] or thickness specifications, particularly for case-bound books. Different paper qualities are used depending on the type of book: [[Machine finished coated paper]]s, [[woodfree uncoated paper]]s, [[coated fine paper]]s and [[special fine paper]]s are common paper grades.
[[File:Seitseman veljekset.jpg|thumb|The 1870 novel ''[[Seitsemän veljestä|The Seven Brothers]]'' by [[Aleksis Kivi]] was initially published in four short volumes.]]
Today, the majority of books are printed by [[offset lithography]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BNCODAAAQBAJ&q=Today,+the+majority+of+books+are+printed+by+offset+lithography&pg=PA213|title=The Complete Canadian Book Editor|last=Vermeer|first=Leslie|date=2016|publisher=Brush Education|isbn=978-1-55059-677-9|language=en|access-date=October 15, 2020|archive-date=December 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211218164852/https://books.google.com/books?id=BNCODAAAQBAJ&q=Today,+the+majority+of+books+are+printed+by+offset+lithography&pg=PA213|url-status=live}}</ref> When a book is printed, the pages are laid out on the plate so that after the printed sheet is folded the pages will be in the correct sequence. Books tend to be manufactured nowadays in a few standard sizes. The [[Book size|sizes of books]] are usually specified as "trim size": the size of the page after the sheet has been folded and trimmed. The standard sizes result from sheet sizes (therefore machine sizes) which became popular 200 or 300 years ago, and have come to dominate the industry. British conventions in this regard prevail throughout the English-speaking world, except for the US. The European book manufacturing industry works to a completely different set of standards.

[[Hardcover]] books have a stiff binding, while [[paperback]] books have cheaper, flexible covers which tend to be less durable. Publishers may produce low-cost pre-publication copies known as [[galley proof|galleys]] or "bound proofs" for promotional purposes, such as generating reviews in advance of publication. Galleys are usually made as cheaply as possible, since they are not intended for sale.

====Printing====
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2024}}

Some books, particularly those with shorter runs (i.e. with fewer copies) will be printed on sheet-fed offset presses, but most books are now printed on [[web press]]es, which are fed by a continuous roll of paper, and can consequently print more copies in a shorter time. As the production line circulates, a complete "book" is collected together in one stack of pages, and another machine carries out the folding, pleating, and stitching of the pages into bundles of [[Section (bookbinding)|signatures]] (sections of pages) ready to go into the gathering line. The pages of a book are printed two at a time, not as one complete book. Excess numbers are printed to make up for any spoilage due to make-readies or test pages to assure final print quality.

A ''make-ready'' is the preparatory work carried out by the pressmen to get the printing press up to the required quality of [[Impression (publishing)|impression]]. Included in make-ready is the time taken to mount the plate onto the machine, clean up any mess from the previous job, and get the press up to speed. As soon as the pressman decides that the printing is correct, all the make-ready sheets will be discarded, and the press will start making books. Similar make readies take place in the folding and binding areas, each involving spoilage of paper.

Recent developments in book manufacturing include the development of digital printing. Book pages are printed, in much the same way as an office copier works, using [[toner (printing)|toner]] rather than ink. Each book is printed in one pass, not as separate signatures. Digital printing has permitted the manufacture of much smaller quantities than offset, in part because of the absence of make readies and of spoilage. Digital printing has opened up the possibility of print-on-demand, where no books are printed until after an order is received from a customer.

[[File:Printing3 Walk of Ideas Berlin.JPG|thumb|{{convert|40|ft|m|order=flip|adj=mid|-high}} sculpture of a stack of books at the Berlin [[Walk of Ideas]], commemorating the invention of modern book printing]]

====Binding====
{{main|Bookbinding}}
After the signatures are folded and gathered, they move into the [[bindery]]. In the middle of last century there were still many trade binders—stand-alone binding companies which did no printing, specializing in binding alone. At that time, because of the dominance of letterpress printing, typesetting and printing took place in one location, and binding in a different factory. When type was all metal, a typical book's worth of type would be bulky, fragile and heavy. The less it was moved in this condition the better: so printing would be carried out in the same location as the typesetting. Printed sheets on the other hand could easily be moved. Now, because of increasing [[Automation|computerization]] of preparing a book for the printer, the typesetting part of the job has flowed upstream, where it is done either by separately contracting companies working for the publisher, by the publishers themselves, or even by the authors. Mergers in the book manufacturing industry mean that it is now unusual to find a bindery which is not also involved in book printing (and vice versa).

If the book is a hardback its path through the bindery will involve more points of activity than if it is a paperback. Unsewn binding is now increasingly common. The signatures of a book can also be held together by "[[Smyth sewing]]" using needles, {{anchor|McCain sewing}}"McCain sewing", using drilled holes often used in schoolbook binding, or {{anchor|Notch binding}}"notch binding", where gashes about an inch long are made at intervals through the fold in the spine of each signature. The rest of the binding process is similar in all instances. Sewn and notch bound books can be bound as either hardbacks or paperbacks.

==== Finishing ====
"Making cases" happens off-line and prior to the book's arrival at the binding line. In the most basic case-making, two pieces of cardboard are placed onto a glued piece of cloth with a space between them into which is glued a thinner board cut to the width of the spine of the book. The overlapping edges of the cloth (about 5/8" all round) are folded over the boards, and pressed down to adhere. After case-making the stack of cases will go to the [[foil stamping]] area for adding decorations and type.

=== Retail and distribution ===
{{Main|Bookselling}}
Bookselling is the commercial trading of books that forms the [[retail]] and distribution end of the publishing process.

=== Accessible publishing ===
{{Main|Accessible publishing}}
[[File:Accessible_Books_Consortium_explains_-_a_digital_file_is_not_necessarily_accessible.webm|left|thumb|An example of someone using a [[screen reader]] showing documents that are inaccessible, readable and accessible]]
Accessible publishing is an approach to publishing and book design whereby books and other texts are made available in alternative formats designed to aid or replace the reading process. It is particularly relevant for people who are blind, [[Visual impairment|visually impaired]] or otherwise [[Print disability|print-disabled]].

Alternative formats that have been developed to aid different people to read include varieties of larger [[font]]s, specialized fonts for certain kinds of [[Reading disability|reading disabilities]], braille, ebooks, and automated audiobooks and [[DAISY Digital Talking Book|DAISY]] digital talking books.

Accessible publishing has been made easier through developments in technology such as print on demand, ebook readers, the [[XML]] structured data format, the [[EPUB|EPUB3]] format and the Internet.

=== Audiobooks ===
{{Main|Audiobook}}
An audiobook or talking book is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are [[abridgement]]s.

Spoken audio has been available in [[school]]s and [[Public library|public libraries]] and to a lesser extent in [[Record shop|music shops]] since the 1930s. Many [[spoken word album]]s were made prior to the age of [[Cassette tape|cassettes]], [[compact disc]]s, and [[MP3|downloadable audio]], often of [[poetry]] and [[Play (theatre)|plays]] rather than books. It was not until the 1980s that the medium began to attract book retailers, and then book retailers started displaying audiobooks on bookshelves rather than in separate displays.

=== Ebooks ===
{{Main|Ebook}}
[[File:Amazon Kindle 3.JPG|thumb|right|upright|A [[Amazon Kindle|Kindle]] e-reader]]An ebook (short for electronic book), also spelled e-book or eBook, is a book publication made available in electronic form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the [[flat-panel display]] of computers or other electronic devices.<ref>Gardiner, Eileen and Ronald G. Musto. "The Electronic Book." In Suarez, Michael Felix, and H. R. Woudhuysen. [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/370356568 ''The Oxford Companion to the Book'']. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190912011827/https://www.worldcat.org/title/oxford-companion-to-the-book/oclc/370356568|date=September 12, 2019}} Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010, p. 164.</ref> Although sometimes defined as "an electronic version of a printed book",<ref>{{cite web |title=e-book |url=http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1242960 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110208012946/http://oxforddictionaries.com/view/entry/m_en_us1242960 |archive-date=February 8, 2011 |access-date=September 2, 2010 |website=Oxford Dictionaries |publisher=Oxford University Press}}</ref> some ebooks exist without a printed equivalent. Ebooks can be read on dedicated [[e-reader]] devices and on any computer device that features a controllable viewing screen, including [[desktop computer]]s, [[laptop]]s, [[Tablet computer|tablets]] and [[smartphone]]s.

In some markets, the sale of printed books has decreased due to the increased use of ebooks. However, printed books still largely outsell ebooks, and many people have a preference for print.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ang |first=Carmen |date=15 October 2021 |title=Print Has Prevailed: The Staying Power of Physical Books |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/print-books-versus-e-books/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819191402/https://www.visualcapitalist.com/print-books-versus-e-books/ |archive-date=August 19, 2022 |access-date=August 19, 2022 |website=Visual Capitalist}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Richter |first=Felix |date=21 April 2022 |title=E-Books Still No Match for Printed Books |url=https://www.statista.com/chart/24709/e-book-and-printed-book-penetration/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230312015607/https://www.statista.com/chart/24709/e-book-and-printed-book-penetration/ |archive-date=March 12, 2023 |access-date=March 12, 2023 |website=[[Statista]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Handley |first=Lucy |date=September 19, 2019 |title=Physical books still outsell e-books – and here's why |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/physical-books-still-outsell-e-books-and-heres-why.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210102034014/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/09/19/physical-books-still-outsell-e-books-and-heres-why.html |archive-date=January 2, 2021 |access-date=2 January 2021 |publisher=[[CNBC]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Duffy |first=Kate |date=10 March 2023 |title=Gen Zers are bookworms but say they're shunning e-books because of eye strain, digital detoxing, and their love for libraries |url=https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-book-ditch-digital-love-libraries-eye-strain-2023-3 |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311171707/https://www.businessinsider.com/gen-z-book-ditch-digital-love-libraries-eye-strain-2023-3 |archive-date=March 11, 2023 |access-date=March 11, 2023 |publisher=[[Business Insider]]}}</ref>

=== Dummy books ===
[[File:Cigarette smuggling with a book.JPG|thumb|left|Cigarette smuggling with a book]]
Dummy books (or faux books) are books that are designed to imitate a real book by appearance to deceive people, some books may be whole with empty pages, others may be hollow or in other cases, there may be a whole panel carved with spines which are then painted to look like books, titles of some books may also be fictitious.

There are many reasons to have dummy books on display such as; to allude visitors of the vast wealth of information in their possession and to inflate the owner's appearance of wealth, to conceal something,<ref>{{cite web |last=Golder |first=Joseph |date=2021-10-28 |title=Man Finds Secret Passage Hidden Behind Bookshelf in His 500-Year-Old Home's Library |url=https://www.newsweek.com/man-finds-secret-passage-hidden-behind-bookshelf-his-500-year-old-homes-library-1644132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220223171800/https://www.newsweek.com/man-finds-secret-passage-hidden-behind-bookshelf-his-500-year-old-homes-library-1644132 |archive-date=February 23, 2022 |accessdate=2022-02-25 |publisher=Newsweek.com}}</ref> for shop displays or for decorative purposes.

In early 19th century at [[Gwrych Castle]], [[North Wales]], [[Lloyd Hesketh Bamford-Hesketh]] was known for his vast collection of books at his library, however, at the later part of that same century, the public became aware that parts of his library was a fabrication, dummy books were built and then locked behind glass doors to stop people from trying to access them, from this a proverb was born, "Like Hesky's library, all outside".<ref>{{Cite book |last=Apperson |first=George Latimer |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7PMZJqSR4sAC&q=hesk%27s |title=Dictionary of Proverbs |date=2006-05-10 |publisher=Wordsworth Editions |isbn=978-1-84022-311-8 |pages=279 |language=en |access-date=March 27, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327190210/https://books.google.com/books?id=7PMZJqSR4sAC&q=hesk%27s |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sparke |first=Archibald |date=1922-03-04 |title=Pseudo-titles for "Dummy" books |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nq/s12-x.203.174a |url-status=live |journal=Notes and Queries |volume=s12-X |issue=203 |pages=174 |doi=10.1093/nq/s12-x.203.174a |issn=1471-6941 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327190217/https://academic.oup.com/nq/article-abstract/s12-X/203/174/4231316?redirectedFrom=fulltext |archive-date=March 27, 2023 |access-date=March 21, 2023|url-access=subscription }}</ref>

== Content ==
{{More citations needed section|date=February 2024}}

[[File:Polish sci fi fantasy books.JPG|thumb|upright|[[Novel]]s in a [[bookstore]]]]

Libraries, bookstores, and collections commonly divide books into [[fiction]] and [[non-fiction]], though other types exist beyond this. Other books, which remain unpublished or are primarily published as part of different business functions (such as phone directories) may not be sold by bookstores or collected by libraries. Manuscripts, logbooks and other records may be classified and stored differently by [[special collections]] or [[archive]]s.

=== Fiction ===
Fiction books contain invented material, typically narratives. Other literary forms such as [[poetry]] are included in the broad category. Most fiction is additionally categorized by [[literary form]] and [[genre]].

The [[novel]] is the most common form of fiction book. Novels are extended works of narrative fiction, typically featuring a plot, setting, themes and characters. The novel has had a tremendous impact on entertainment and publishing markets.<ref>{{cite news |author=Edwin Mcdowell |date=October 30, 1989 |title=The Media Business; Publishers Worry After Fiction Sales Weaken |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/30/business/the-media-business-publishers-worry-after-fiction-sales-weaken.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207141016/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/10/30/business/the-media-business-publishers-worry-after-fiction-sales-weaken.html |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |access-date=January 25, 2008 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=August 2024}} A [[novella]] is a term sometimes used for fiction [[prose]] typically between 17,500 and 40,000 words, and a [[Novella|novelette]] between 7,500 and 17,500. A [[short story]] may be any length up to 10,000 words, but these word lengths vary.

[[Comic book]]s or [[graphic novel]]s are books in which the story is illustrated. The characters and narrators use speech or thought bubbles to express verbal language.

=== Non-fiction ===
[[File:Stefan Ramult-Pomeranian Dictionary.png|upright|thumb|left|A page from a [[dictionary]]]]
Non-fiction books are in principle based on fact, encompassing subjects such as history, politics, social and cultural issues, as well as [[autobiographies]] and [[memoir]]s. Nearly all [[academic literature]] is non-fiction.

==== References ====
{{Main|Reference work}}
Reference books are non-fiction books intended to be quickly referred to for information, rather than read beginning to end. The writing style used in these works is informative; the authors avoid opinions and the use of the first person, and emphasize facts.

An [[almanac]] is a very general reference book, usually one-volume, with lists of data and information on many topics. An [[encyclopedia]] is a book or set of books designed to have more in-depth articles on many topics. A book listing words, their etymology, meanings, and other information is called a [[dictionary]]. An [[atlas]] is a book containing a collection of [[map]]s. A specialized reference work giving information about a particular field or technique, often intended for professional use, is often called a [[handbook]]. Books which try to list references and abstracts in a certain broad area may be called an [[index (publishing)|index]], such as ''Engineering Index'', or [[abstract (summary)|abstracts]] such as chemical abstracts and biological abstracts.

==== Technical ====
{{See also|Technical writing}}[[File:Atlas - book.jpg|right|thumb|An [[atlas]]]]

Books with technical information on how to do something or how to use some equipment are called [[instruction manual]]s. Other popular how-to books include [[cookbook]]s and [[home improvement]] books.

==== Educational ====
Students often carry [[textbook]]s and schoolbooks for study purposes. [[Lap book]]s are a learning tool created by students. [[Elementary school]] pupils often use [[workbook]]s, which are published with spaces or blanks to be filled by them for study or [[homework]]. In US [[higher education]], it is common for a student to take an exam using a [[blue book exam|blue book]].

==== Religious ====
{{Main|Religious text}}
Religious texts, including scripture, are texts which various [[religion]]s consider to be of central importance to their religious tradition. They often feature a compilation or discussion of beliefs, ritual practices, moral commandments and [[Religious law|laws]], ethical conduct, spiritual aspirations, and admonitions for fostering a religious community.

[[Hymnal]]s are books with collections of [[music]]al [[hymn]]s that can typically be found in [[church (building)|churches]]. [[Breviary|Prayerbooks]] or [[missal]]s are books that contain written [[prayer]]s and are commonly carried by [[monk]]s, [[nun]]s, and other devoted followers or [[clergy]].

=== Children's books ===
{{Excerpt|files=1|Children's book}}[[File:Friedrich Kellner diary Oct 6, 1939 p3.jpg|left|thumb|upright|A page from a notebook used as handwritten diary]]

=== Unpublished ===
{{See also|List of unpublished books}}
Many books are only used to record personal ideas, notes, and accounts, such as [[notebook]]s, [[logbook]]s, [[commonplace book]]s, and [[Diary|diaries]]. These books are rarely published and are typically destroyed or remain private.

[[Address book]]s, [[phone book]]s, and [[Diary (stationery)|calendar/appointment books]] are commonly used for recording appointments, meetings and personal [[Address (geography)|contact information]]. Businesses historically used [[accounting]] books such as journals and [[ledger]]s to record financial data in a practice called [[bookkeeping]] (now usually held on computers rather than in hand-written form).

== Collection and classification ==
{{More citations needed section|date=August 2024}}
Personal and public libraries, archives and other forms of book collection have led to the creation of many different organization and classification strategies. In the 19th and 20th century, libraries and library professionals systematized book collecting and classification systems to respond to the growing industry. The most widely used system is [[ISBN]], which has provided unique identifiers for books since 1970.

=== Libraries ===
{{main|Library}}
[[File:Celsus-Bibliothek2.jpg|thumb|The [[Library of Celsus]] in [[Ephesus]], Turkey, was built in 135 AD, and could house around 12,000 scrolls.]]
A library is a collection of books, and possibly other [[Document|materials]] and media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or digital (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location, a virtual space, or both. A library's collection normally includes printed materials which may be borrowed, and usually also includes a reference section of publications which may only be utilized inside the premises. Resources such as commercial releases of films, television programs, other video recordings, radio, music and audio recordings may be available in many formats. These include [[DVD]]s, [[Blu-ray]]s, [[CD]]s, [[Cassette tape|cassettes]], or other applicable formats such as [[microform]]. They may also provide access to information, music or other content held on [[bibliographic database]]s.

Libraries can vary widely in size and may be organized and maintained by a public body such as a government, an institution (such as a school or museum), a corporation, or a private individual. In addition to providing materials, libraries also provide the services of [[librarian]]s who are trained experts in finding, selecting, circulating and organising information while interpreting information needs and navigating and analyzing large amounts of information with a variety of resources.

Library buildings often provide quiet areas for studying, as well as common areas for group study and collaboration, and may provide public facilities for access to their electronic resources, such as computers and access to the Internet.

The library's clientele and general services offered vary depending on its type: users of a [[public library]] have different needs from those of a [[special library]] or academic library, for example. Libraries may also be community hubs, where programs are made available and people engage in lifelong learning. Modern libraries extend their services beyond the physical walls of the building by providing material accessible by electronic means, including from home via the Internet.

=== Identification and classification ===
[[File:ISBN.JPG|thumb|[[ISBN]] with [[barcode]]]]
In 2011, the [[International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions]] (IFLA) created the [[International Standard Bibliographic Description]] (ISBD) in order to standardize descriptions in bibliographies and library catalogs. Each book is specified by an International Standard Book Number, or ISBN, which is meant to be unique to every edition of every book produced by participating publishers, worldwide. It is managed by the ISBN Society. An ISBN has four parts: the first part is the country code, the second the publisher code, and the third the title code. The last part is a [[check digit]], and can take values from 0–9 and X (10). The [[European Article Number|EAN]] [[Barcode]]s numbers for books are derived from the ISBN by prefixing 978, for [[Bookland]], and calculating a new check digit.

Commercial publishers in industrialized countries generally assign ISBNs to their books, so buyers may presume that the ISBN is part of a total international system, with no exceptions. However, many government publishers, in industrial as well as developing countries, do not participate fully in the ISBN system, and publish books which do not have ISBNs. A large or public collection requires a [[Library catalog|catalogue]]. Codes called "call numbers" relate the books to the catalogue, and determine their locations on the shelves. Call numbers are based on a [[Library classification]] system. The call number is placed on the spine of the book, normally a short distance before the bottom, and inside. Institutional or national standards, such as [[American National Standards Institute|ANSI]]/[[NISO]] Z39.41 – 1997, establish the correct way to place information (such as the [[title (publishing)|title]], or the name of the author) on book spines, and on "shelvable" book-like objects, such as containers for [[DVD]]s, [[video tape]]s and [[software]].
[[File:Wien - Volkskundemuseum-Bibliothek, Bücherspeicher.JPG|thumb|Books on library shelves and call numbers visible on the spines]]

One of the earliest and most widely known systems of cataloguing books is the [[Dewey Decimal Classification|Dewey Decimal System]]. Another widely known system is the [[Library of Congress Classification]] system. Both systems are biased towards subjects which were well represented in US libraries when they were developed, and hence have problems handling new subjects, such as computing, or subjects relating to other cultures.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Hoffman |first1=Gretchen L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SvCjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |title=Organizing Library Collections: Theory and Practice |date=August 5, 2019 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-5381-0852-9 |page=167 |language=en |access-date=August 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210806004904/https://books.google.com/books?id=SvCjDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA167 |archive-date=August 6, 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref> Information about books and authors can be stored in databases like [[online general-interest book database]]s. [[Metadata]], which means "data about data" is information about a book. Metadata about a book may include its title, ISBN or other classification number (see above), the names of contributors (author, editor, illustrator) and publisher, its date and size, the language of the text, its subject matter, etc.

==== Classification systems ====
* [[Bliss bibliographic classification]] (BC)
* [[Chinese Library Classification]] (CLC)
* [[Colon Classification]]
* [[Dewey Decimal Classification]] (DDC)
* [[Harvard–Yenching Classification]]
* [[Library of Congress Classification]] (LCC)
* [[New Classification Scheme for Chinese Libraries]]
* [[Universal Decimal Classification]] (UDC)

=== Conservation ===
[[File:IMA Conservation Technician 4.jpg|thumb|A conservation technician examining an artwork under a microscope at the [[Indianapolis Museum of Art]]]]
The [[conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents, and ephemera]] is dedicated to extending the life of items of historical and personal value made primarily from [[paper]], [[parchment]], and [[leather]]. When applied to [[cultural heritage]], conservation activities are generally undertaken by a [[conservator-restorer|conservator]]. The primary goal of conservation is to extend the lifespan of the object as well as maintaining its integrity by keeping all additions reversible. Conservation of books and paper involves techniques of [[bookbinding]], [[Conservation and restoration of cultural property|restoration]], paper [[chemistry]], and other material technologies including preservation and archival techniques.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Banik|first1=Gerhard |title=Paper and water: a guide for conservators|date=2011|publisher=Butterworth-Heinemann|first2=Irene |last2=Brückle |isbn=978-0-7506-6831-6 |location=Amsterdam}}</ref>

Book and paper conservation seeks to prevent and, in some cases, reverse damage due to handling, [[inherent vice]], and the environment.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schechter |first1=Abraham A. |title=Basic Book Repair Methods |date=15 June 1999 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-56308-700-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/basicbookrepairm0000sche |language=en |pages=1–36}}</ref><ref name="CCI418"/> Conservators determine proper methods of [[Cultural property storage|storage]] for books and documents, including boxes and shelving to prevent further damage and promote long-term storage.<ref name="Cloonan-2015">{{cite book |editor-last1=Cloonan |editor-first1=Michele Valerie |title=Preserving Our Heritage: Perspectives from Antiquity to the Digital Age |date=2015 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-1-55570-937-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781555709372 |pages=323–345, 374–378}}</ref> Carefully chosen methods and techniques of active conservation can both reverse damage and prevent further damage in batches or single-item treatments based on the value of the book or document.<ref name="Ritzenthaler-2015">{{cite book |last=Ritzenthaler |first=Mary Lynn |chapter=Excerpts from 'Conservation Treatment' |editor-last1=Cloonan |editor-first1=Michele Valerie |title=Preserving Our Heritage: Perspectives from Antiquity to the Digital Age |date=2015 |publisher=American Library Association |isbn=978-1-55570-937-2 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781555709372 |pages=323–345, 374–378}}</ref>

Historically, book restoration techniques were less formalized and carried out by various roles and training backgrounds. Nowadays, the conservation of paper documents and books is often performed by a professional conservator.<ref name="CCI418">{{cite web |url=http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/caringfor-prendresoindes/articles/418-eng.aspx |title=How to Care for Paper Documents and Newspaper Clippings |publisher=Canadian Conservation Institute|date=4 January 2002 |access-date=13 April 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312224951/http://www.cci-icc.gc.ca/caringfor-prendresoindes/articles/418-eng.aspx |archive-date=12 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="CYT">{{cite web |work=American Institute for Conservation of Historic & Artistic Works |title=Caring for Your Treasures |access-date=26 April 2014 |url=http://www.conservation-us.org/about-conservation/caring-for-your-treasures#.U13JgK1dX4g |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104085131/http://www.conservation-us.org/about-conservation/caring-for-your-treasures#.U13JgK1dX4g |archive-date=4 November 2014}}.</ref> Many paper or book conservators are members of a professional body, such as the [[American Institute for Conservation]] (AIC) or the [[Guild of Bookworkers]] (both in the United States), the [[Archives and Records Association]] (in the United Kingdom and Ireland), or the [[Institute of Conservation]] (ICON) (in the United Kingdom).<ref>{{cite web|title=What is Conservation|url=https://icon.org.uk/icon-resources/what-is-conservation|access-date=9 March 2020|website=Institute of Conservation|publisher=The Institute of Conservation |archive-date=13 May 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200513005519/https://icon.org.uk/icon-resources/what-is-conservation}}</ref>

== Social and cultural issues ==

=== Reception ===
{{Main|Literary criticism}}

The impact of books can be various, and record of that reception comes in several formats: starting with initial public reception in contemporary newspapers, [[Popular culture|pop culture]] and correspondence, and then developing with different forms of literary criticism by professional and academic critics. For the publishing industry the "book review" is an important part of increasing awareness and reception of a book: able to make or break the public opinion about a new book.{{citation needed|date=February 2024}}

==== Book reviews ====
{{Excerpt|Book review}}

=== Book censorship and bans ===
[[Book censorship]] is the act of some authority taking measures to suppress ideas and information within a book.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=McClure |first1=Donald |title=Book Censorship and Its Threat to Critical Inquiry in Social Studies Education |journal=Northwest Journal of Teacher Education |date=22 November 2022 |volume=17 |issue=3 |doi=10.15760/nwjte.2022.17.3.9|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Censorship]] is "the regulation of free speech and other forms of entrenched authority".<ref>{{cite book|title=Culture Wars in America : an Encyclopedia of Issues, Viewpoints, and Voices|isbn=978-0765683175|edition= 2nd |publisher=M.E. Sharpe |location=Armonk, New York|oclc=881383488|last1=Chapman|first1=Roger|last2=Ciment|first2=James|date=2014}}</ref> Censors typically identify as either a concerned parent, community members who react to a text without reading, or local or national organizations.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9215/library.htm |title=The Right To Read: Censorship in the School Library. ERIC Digest. |website=www.ericdigests.org |language=en |access-date=2019-04-15}}</ref> Books have been censored by authoritarian dictatorships to silence dissent, such as the [[People's Republic of China]], [[Nazi Germany]] and the [[Soviet Union]]. Books are most often censored for age appropriateness, offensive language, sexual content, amongst other reasons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://libguides.butler.edu/bannedbooks?p=217686 |title=LibGuides: Banned Books: Reasons for Banning Books |last=Commons |first=Information |website=libguides.butler.edu |language=en |access-date=2019-04-17}}</ref> Similarly, religions may issue lists of banned books, such as the historical example of the [[Catholic Church]]'s ''[[Index Librorum Prohibitorum]]'' and bans of such books as [[Salman Rushdie|Salman Rushdie's]] ''[[The Satanic Verses]]'' by [[Ayatollah Khomeini]],<ref>{{cite journal |last=Swan |first=John |date=1991 |title='The Satanic Verses,' the 'Fatwa,' and Its Aftermath: A Review Article |journal=The Library Quarterly: Information, Community, Policy |volume=61 |issue=4 |pages=429–443}}</ref> which do not always carry legal force. Censorship can be enacted at the national or subnational level as well, and can carry legal penalties. In many cases, the authors of these books could face harsh sentences, exile from the country, or even execution.<ref>{{cite news |title=A Uyghur gets death sentence, as China bans once OK'd books |url=https://apnews.com/article/uyghur-death-sentence-china-banned-books-6da7d5d6ed5c9937d1a4796b3bcb94b1 |author=Huizhong Wu|work=AP News |date=1 February 2022 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Natanson |first1=Hannah |title=School librarians face a new penalty in the banned-book wars: Prison |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2023/05/18/school-librarians-jailed-banned-books/ |newspaper=Washington Post |date=May 18, 2023}}</ref>

==== Book burning ====
{{Excerpt|book burning|files=1|paragraphs=1-3}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Books|Education|Writing}}
{{Div col}}
* [[Accessible Books Consortium]]
* [[Book desert]]
* [[Book Lovers Day]]
* [[Books for the Blind]]
* [[Books to Prisoners]]
* [[Independent bookstore]]
* [[Lists of books]]
* [[Open access book]]
* [[Outline of books]]
* [[World Book Capital]]
* [[World Book Day]]
{{div col end}}

== References ==

=== Citations ===
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===
{{Refbegin|indent=yes}}
* {{cite book |last1=Feather |first1=John |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50480180 |title=International Encyclopedia of Information and Library Science |last2=Sturges |first2=Paul |date=2003 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=0-415-25901-0 |edition=2nd |location=London |pages= |oclc=50480180 |access-date=March 21, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125014359/http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/50480180 |archive-date=November 25, 2009 |url-status=live}}
{{Refend}}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite book |title=The Oxford History of the Book |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |date=2023-03-23 |isbn=978-0-19-288689-7 |editor-last=Raven |editor-first=James |location=Oxford |doi=10.1093/oso/9780192886897.001.0001}}
* {{Cite book |title=A Companion to the History of the Book |date=16 August 2019 |publisher=[[Wiley-Blackwell]] |isbn=9781119018179 |editor-last=Eliot |editor-first=Simon |editor-last2=Rose |editor-first2=Jonathan}}
* {{Cite book |last=Borsuk |first=Amaranth |title=The Book |date=4 May 2018 |publisher=[[MIT Press]] |isbn=9780262535410 |series=MIT Press Essential Knowledge series}}
*{{Cite book |title=The Oxford Handbook of Publishing |date=18 April 2019 |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]] |isbn=9780198794202 |editor-last=Phillips |editor-first=Angus |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780198794202.001.0001 |editor-last2=Bhaskar |editor-first2=Michael}}

== External links ==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Wikinews category}}
* {{Commons-inline}}

{{Books|state=expanded}}
{{Book structure}}
{{Paper products}}
{{Cultural Conservation-Restoration}}
{{Academic publishing}}
{{Ebooks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Books| ]]
[[Category:Documents]]
[[Category:Paper products]]
[[Category:Media formats]]