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Open Access Thesis

Abstract

The first book in the form of a codex was bound around 300 BCE, but the earliest material used to record writing appeared around 3000 BCE. From these documents recording proto-writing of human history, people have sought to analyze and preserve writing, which continues as a contemporary work of scholars across multiple disciplines to form the field of the history of the book. As the book changed physical form from illuminated manuscripts on vellum to cheaply produced, paperback books, which appeared in the early 1800s, historians have documented these changes; however, more analysis is needed to categorize and interpret how the physical form of the book functions. Drawing on the histories of the Paperback Revolution from the 1800s into the late 1970s, specific trim sizes of paperbacks captured the attention of American readers.

The term Americana exists as a way to categorize these paperback books and their representation of American culture, especially books from the mid-1930s into the late1970s. Though the physical artifacts were produced cheaply, they became collectible items. One collector, Maurice “Moe” Wadle, donated his collection of Americanpublished paperback books. Though the texts bound within the pages have been thoroughly studied by literary scholars for centuries, the physical form of these texts merit analysis. By outlining the history of the Paperback Revolution and by drawing on specific bookcopies from Wadle’s collection, the physical structure of the artifacts can be classified as Americana. Objects of Americana represent American culture. Such objects are emblematic of American ideals connected to specific decades and cultural movements. As Americana, these bookcopies have become collectible. The bookcopies are not only monetarily valuable, but they are culturally valuable.

Year of Submission

2024

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Department of Languages and Literatures

First Advisor

Wendy Hoofnagle

Date Original

5-2024

Object Description

1 PDF (viii, 101 pages)

Language

en

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