Mid 1400s Gutenberg invents moveable type.
1529 Henry VIII issues list of banned books
1690 Publick Occurrences published in Boston. Early 1700s English crown reduces control of presses.
1741 First magazine in America is published
1776-1783 Revolutionary War
1833 The penny press becomes first true mass medium 1860s "Dime Novels" and paperbacks flourish. 1861-1865 American Civil War 1890s Rise of popular "formula fiction" 1914 Cheaper mail rates for books 1914-1918 World War I 1920s Influential book editors emerge, such as Max Perkins
1923 Edward Bernays writes Crystallizing Public Opinion 1930s Gone with the Wind becomes worldwide best-seller 1930s The Great Depression
1934 Federal Communications Act of 1934
1939 TV demonstrated at New York World's Fair
1941-1945 World War II boosts book sales in the United States. 1939-1945 World War II 1950s Publishing houses begin to specialize more 1969 First person lands on moon 1970s Book-company mergers pick up pace. Movie tie-ins and paperback rights begin to drive book industry 1980s Large group-owned bookstores flourish as smaller independent stores start to close. Foreign ownership of book companies grows 1990s Book superstores dominate distribution, and big seven conglomerates dominate publishing
