Almost all literature lovers know that there are a wide variety of print formats. Books of various sizes not only perform some functions, but also personify the sphere of human life that is described in them. For example, travel guides and travel phrases are always small, in this form they are ideal for the smallest pocket of a traveler’s backpack.
Encyclopedias and serious reference books are published mainly in large formats, since they work with this kind of literature at the table, in a special office. Artistic works, however, are issued in the beloved medium format, just to fit the sizes of standard book shelves.
Ancient times
Book formats did not come about right away. The tradition of creating printed products of various sizes originates in ancient times, having arisen almost immediately after a person invented writing. The Egyptians, for example, used papyrus of different widths and lengths for various kinds of records. Historical chronicles were kept on large-format sheets, art chronicles — on smaller ones, and very small fragments of papyrus paper were used for various everyday or temporary recordings. The publishing system of Mesopotamia was no different. Clay tablets of different sizes stored information on the same principle as papyrus in Egypt.
With the invention of typography, literature itself was finally divided into formats. This was explained by the fact that a few religious books and scientific encyclopedias were more convenient to print in large sizes. The works of art demanded by the masses, on the contrary, became more expedient to publish in small print and small format. The size of the circulation was directly related to the parameters of the book.
Variety of printed products
A wide selection of literature is an amazing luxury of our time. Now in stores you can find a huge number of a wide variety of printed products of various sizes and quality. By the way, book publication formats are, in fact, exactly the same important criterion as their volume, content or design. After all, it depends on him where we put the book, where we will store it, how we will read: on the table, in the hands, or in general on a special stand.
There is a special standard: “GOST book publishing formats”, according to which all publishers prepare layouts. All sizes indicated in this list are the same for any publishing office. Of course, sometimes book manufactories produce works in a very non-standard format, but this nevertheless applies to exceptions. In general, publishing houses' policies regarding book publishing format are consistent with book printing standards.
Large formats
This type includes encyclopedias, monographs, dictionaries, atlases, archival lists, special editions. The explanation for this is that usually the printed products of such genres contain a gigantic amount of information, which, even when using small print, still remains huge.
Publishers have to increase the volume of the book through the use of large size. Also in a similar format of the publication it is more convenient to store information that is practically not used in everyday life. That is why almost all of domestic and world science has completely switched to the printing of monographs and dissertations in precisely this size. Even students realized the benefits and began to write notes in large notebooks. If we consider this view from the point of presentability, then gifts of this format are presented to wealthy people or bosses.
Medium formats
This view belongs to everyone's favorite and most popular book size. Novels, storybooks, fairy tales, cookbooks, car repair manuals - all these and many other thematic publications are issued in the medium format.
It is no coincidence that it is all fiction that is published in this size that is extremely convenient for storage and transportation. Such a book can easily fit in a closet, backpack, purse or even under a pillow. And the publication of works in this format is very profitable - a large circulation pays for all the costs of producing a book precisely thanks to the correctly selected aspect ratio of the book. Such a publication is pleasant to hold in your hands, and it is very convenient for everyday home reading.
Small formats
Collections of poetic lyrics, brochures - these varieties of printed products are traditionally attributed to the small format of book publishing. As a rule, it is used to create small literature. Publishing a collection of a dozen poems in large or medium format is simply unprofitable for a book house from a commercial point of view.
But the small size and looks more presentable in this case, and the process of printing this kind of literature will be much simpler. It should also be remembered that most often it is small-format books that are presented because they look both sophisticated and aesthetically pleasing. After all, a tiny collection of love lyrics looks much more romantic than a huge encyclopedia.
Classification
There is a specific standard common to all publishing houses. There have been several classifications of book sizes in the past. Now, most books are still published according to certain rules. All major publication formats are presented in the table in the illustration below:
Reviews
No need to think that readers pay attention only to the content of the book, the size of the publication format is also very important for any consumer. Often in a conversation with people buying printed products, you can hear a similar phrase: "The book is big and colorful!". First of all, buyers pay attention to the size of the folio, as the large format means that it will be well-illustrated and, certainly, interesting.
Visually, this size looks preferable to the average. Therefore, in recent years, more and more publishers have preferred to publish even children's literature in large format, adding volume to the book due to a larger font and a large number of illustrations. This is a rather original commercial move that made this size more popular than usual. Now, not only encyclopedias or monographs of famous scientists are being published in a similar format, which has significantly increased consumer demand for products of this size.
The format of the publication is a kind of marker of content and quality, by which an experienced reader can immediately determine approximately what this book is about, information about what area of human life it contains.