††In 1936, the British publishing firm Penguin introduced a range of paperback books for priced at 6d each (2.5p).
Paperbacks made books cheaper and more readily available to those who previously had not been able to afford them. Literacy rates began to increase as people had more desire to learn to read. The paperbacks were also lighter and more portable than hardback books.
Today, hardback and paperback versions of books are printed. Paperbacks are still cheaper but are not usually available until after the hardback version has been published.
