Literature | ||||||
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Oral literature | ||||||
Major written forms | ||||||
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Prose genres | ||||||
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Poetry genres | ||||||
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Dramatic genres | ||||||
History | ||||||
Lists and outlines | ||||||
Theory and criticism | ||||||
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In modern terms, a book, as an object recording information in the form of printed writing or images, is normally in codex form, composed of many pages, bound together and protected by a cover.[1] Older book formats include the scroll and the tablet, and there are other formats for binding pages together. The book publishing process is the series of steps involved in their creation and dissemination.
As a conceptual object, a book refers to a written work of substantial length, which may be distributed either physically or in digital forms like ebooks. These works can be broadly classified into fiction (containing invented content, often narratives) and non-fiction (containing content intended as factual truth). A physical book may not contain such a work: for example, it may contain only drawings, engravings, photographs, puzzles, or removable content like paper dolls. It may also be left empty to be used for writing or drawing, as in the case of account books, appointment books, autograph books, notebooks, diaries and sketchbooks.
Books are sold at both regular stores and specialized bookstores, as well as online for delivery, and can be borrowed from libraries. The reception of books has led to a number of social consequences, including censorship.
The contemporary book industry has seen several major changes due to new technologies. In some markets, the sale of printed books has decreased due to the increased use of ebooks.[2] However, printed books still largely outsell ebooks, and many people have a preference for print.[3][4][5][6] The 21st century has also seen a rapid rise in the popularity of audiobooks, which are recordings of books being read aloud.[7] Additionally, awareness of the needs of people who have difficulty accessing print media due to disabilities like visual impairment has led to a rise in formats designed for greater accessibility, such as braille printing or formats supporting text-to-voice. Google Books estimated that as of 2010, approximately 130,000,000 unique books had been published.[8]