  Pocket Books, America’s first paperback publisher, was established in 1939 by publishing veteran Robert deGraff. Believing that Americans were ready for a more convenient and inexpensive way to read, he took his dream of creating a wider audience for books to Richard L. Simon and Max Schuster. Together, they changed the publishing industry forever. On June 19, 1939 in New York City, Pocket Books published its first list of ten books, consisting of reprints of some of the most popular books of the day as well as literary classics. Copies were shipped to drugstores, department stores, and newsstands, where they were sold for the then unheard-of price of 25¢ per copy. This marked the first time that such a diverse selection of inexpensive books was available to the general public. Today, Pocket Books continues to be an industry pioneer with an innovative and expansive publishing program that includes Pocket Books Hardcovers, Threshold Editions, Downtown Press, MTV Books, G-Unit, and Star Trek. In 2005, Pocket Books introduced the Premium Edition paperbacks, a line of high quality, oversized mass market books featuring bestselling authors and designed to bridge the gap between the traditional mass market and trade paperback formats.    |