Chapter 2: Books and the Power of Print
True/False
1. The Chinese were printing books using carved blocks of wood long before Gutenberg printed
his Bible using movable type.
2. Because books are such an old and traditional medium, they have been slow to converge with
other media.
3. In the publishing industry, advance money is actually an early payment to the author that is then
deducted from the author’s initial royalties on book sales.
4. The first printed books were so inexpensive and modest that they were primarily sold to the
middle and lower classes.
5. Pulp fiction was another name for the popular paperbacks and dime novels of the 1870s.
6. The publishing industry produces books in a wide variety of categories.
7. Trade books refers to the category of books sold to the general reader.
8. For hundreds of years, books were the only mass medium.
9. Professional books are sold mostly through mail order, the Internet, or specialized sales
representatives.
10. Professional books are subdivided into the areas of law, business, medicine, and technology.
11. Despite their low cost, mass market paperbacks represent the smallest segment of the industry
in terms of units sold.
12. Sales of religious books have dropped substantially over the past twenty years.
13. Once strongly influenced by books, television and film now look elsewhere for most of their
story ideas.
14. University presses often publish books that only a handful of scholars read.
15. Bookstores must absorb the cost of any new books they do not sell.
16. Before the advent of online stores, book sales in the United States were dominated by two large
chains.
17. Commercial book publishing in the United States is dominated by a small group of large
corporations.
18. Amazon introduced a lightweight e-book reader—the Kindle—in 2007.
Multiple Choice
Note: The correct answer is asterisked.
19. Rules of punctuation, capitalization, and spacing of English words were developed
20. The oldest printed book still in existence is
21. A topical book that is published quickly after a major event is called
A. A reference book
22. Pocket Books revolutionized the paperback industry by
A. Raising the quality of the books by using better paper
23. The best-selling book of all time is
24. The right to use the contents of a book in another form, such as a CD or movie script, is called
25. The division of the book industry that makes the most money is
26. Millions of library books are deteriorating because
27. The first type of protomodern book, which used sheets of material sewed together at the edges
to allow the book to be opened at any page, was
A. Papyrus
28. Many books from the Middle Ages were called illuminated manuscripts because they were
D. Read aloud in the town square by scholars who explained, or illuminated, the text
29. Most books sold in the United States today are
30.Numerous books have become best-sellers after their authors appeared on
A. Inside Edition
Fill in the Blank
31. ______________ are sold off racks in drugstores, supermarkets, and airports as well as in
bookstores.
32. ______________ editors seek out and sign authors to contracts.
33. The process of promotion and sale of different versions of a media product across the various
subsidiaries of a media conglomerate is called _______________.
34. A printing technique developed by early Chinese printers, ____________ involved hand–
carving characters and illustrations into blocks of wood.
35. In book publishing, ___________ editors provide authors with feedback, make suggestions for
improvements, and obtain advice from knowledgeable members of the academic community.
36. Sometimes identified as pulp fiction, ______________ were cheaply produced and low-priced
novels popular in the United States beginning in the 1860s.
37. ____________________ is a technology introduced in the nineteenth century that enabled
printers to set type mechanically using a typewriter-style keyboard.
38. One of the first substances to hold written language and symbols, _____________ was obtained
from plant reeds found along the Nile River.
39. The ____________ was a protomodern book made by sewing sheets of parchment together
along one edge and binding it with thin pieces of wood covered with leather.
Matching
Match the following types of books with their correct category.
A. Mass market paperbacks
B. Professional books
C. Textbooks
D. Trade books
40. Art and travel
41. Technical-scientific
42. Vocational
43. The instant book
Essay
44. Why was the printing press such an important and revolutionary development?
45. Why did publishing houses develop? What has happened to them today?
46. What have been the major contributions of books to democratic life?
47. Discuss the challenges that threaten to dilute the impact of books as a mass medium.
48. How is convergence transforming the publishing industry?