Paperback

Paperback is a kind of binding by which papers are simply folded without cloth or leather or a book with that binding. Signatures are usually glued rather than sewn or stapled. Paperbacks are usually printed on cheap paper containing acids which will cause the paper to discolor and disintegrate over a period of decades.

Because of their cheap printing and binding paperbacks are often less expensive than books with a hardcover[?], textbook or library binding[?]. Their cheapness is often emphasized by garish cover designs.

One of the first publishers to exploit the potential of paperbacks was Penguin Books[?].

Paperbacks include cheap mass market paperbacks[?], in the standard "pocketbook" format generally printed on newsprint or other low quality paper and more expensive trade paperbacks[?] in larger formats printed on better quality paper, sometimes acid-free paper[?].

See also The Beatles' song, "Paperback Writer[?]".