Table : TABLE 10.1 ANNUAL NUMBERS OF NEW BOOK TITLES PUBLISHED, SELECTED YEARSData from: Figures through 1945 from John Tebbel, A History of Book Publishing in the United States, 4 vols. (New York: R. R. Bowker, 1972–81); figures after 1945 from various editions of The Bowker Annual Library and Book Trade Almanac (Information Today, Inc.) and Bowker press releases.*Changes in the Almanac’s methodology in 1997 and for years 2004–07 resulted in additional publications being assigned ISBNs and included in the counts.
Year | Number of Titles |
1778 | 461 |
1798 | 1,808 |
1880 | 2,076 |
1890 | 4,559 |
1900 | 6,356 |
1910 | 13,470 (peak until after World War II) |
1919 | 5,714 (low point as a result of World War I) |
1930 | 10,027 |
1935 | 8,766 (Great Depression) |
1940 | 11,328 |
1945 | 6,548 (World War II) |
1950 | 11,022 |
1960 | 15,012 |
1970 | 36,071 |
1980 | 42,377 |
1990 | 46,473 |
1996* | 68,175 |
2001 | 114,487 |
2004* | 164,020 |
2010 | 186,344 |
2013 | 192,633 |