What American Book Publishing Was Like Only 80 Years Ago

“In the entire country, there were only some four thousand places where a book could be purchased, and most of these were gift shops and stationary stores that carried only a few popular novels. In reality, there were but five hundred or so legitimate bookstores … [and] most were refined, old-fashioned ‘carriage trade’ stores catering to an elite clientele in the nation’s twelve largest cities.”