The Bookseller , the First Modern Trade Journal

Abstract: The Bookseller , published from 1858, was the model for a new kind of trade journal. Dedicated to the needs of retailers of books, the new journal quickly inspired other retail trades to follow suit. This article examines the structure and contents of Joseph Whitaker’s journal to reveal the strategies he used to position his publication at the heart of a business sector as it slowly transformed into a highly competitive mass market trade in books. The Bookseller laid the foundations for the communication and information system that remains at the heart of the global publishing industry to this day.