This paper describes the usefulness of reliable book statistics for publishers, booksellers, educators, and policymakers and outlines the main reasons why there are few such statistics. In its second part, the paper proposes indicators that would measure the role of books and book industries both in contemporary societies and in recent history, and argues for a wider debate around book statistics and the role of books and reading in society.
Kovač, MihaPhillips, Angusvan der Weel, AdriaanRüdiger, Wischenbart
Faculty of Technology, Design and Environment\School of Arts\Oxford International Centre for Publishing
Year of publication: 2017Date of RADAR deposit: 2018-04-04