Paperbacks - from cheap dime novels to high-quality original editions

Paper-bound books (initially often dime novels or classic editions) were published in Germany and elsewhere as early as the 19th century. The originator of the paperback in its modern style is considered to be the Hamburg publisher Albatross Verlag, which produced new literature in an appealing layout for the mass market for the first time.

In the mid-19th century, book series appeared on the market that could be offered cheaply thanks to more modern production methods. Beginning in 1841, the Leipzig publisher Christian Bernhard Tauchnitz (in his Bernhard Tauchnitz Verlag) published various paperback series for an English-speaking audience The "Reclams Universal-Bibliothek" series (since 1867) also dates from this early period of the modern paperback.

After World War II, Rowohlt Verlag received a license from the occupying forces to print books, but good paper was scarce. Therefore, from 1946 to 1949, the publishing house printed in large runs on cheap newsprint and in the rather unwieldy newspaper format using the rotary press method. The first four titles were printed in 100,000 copies each and sold at a price of 50 pfennigs; they were an immediate success. These first titles were intended to introduce Germans to a "different" cultural heritage after the Nazi era, and were In einem andern Land by Ernest Hemingway, Schloss Gripsholm by Kurt Tucholsky, Taifun by Joseph Conrad and Der große Kamerad by Alain-Fournier.

Characteristics of the paperback, in addition to the cover and binding, are the small typeface with its narrow type area and the often woody, coarse paper, which, together with the large print run, make it possible to sell at a low price. In recent years, however, the typeface and type area have been improved and the paper quality has also increased. More and more original editions are appearing immediately in paperback.