Benjamin Franklin is considered one of the first successful contributors to the development of book publishing in the American colonies. Franklin opened the first subscription library in the colonies and began publishing Poor Richards Almanack in 1733. This provided people something to read besides the bible. Poor Richards Almanack contained weather forecasts, short stories, a list of public officials, and poetry. Benjamin Franklin used the pseudonym Richard Saunders when writing the almanac, which became an annual publication. Reaction to the almanac was enormous, and it sold up to 10,000 issues a year. A copy of the 1753 publication can be seen at: (http://www.gettysburg.edu/~tshannon/his341/pra1753contents.html) Franklin also published the first novel by author Samuel Richardson.
Before the Revolutionary War, pamphlets challenging the right of Parliament to govern the colonies began to be produced and inspired an interest in reading. Thomas Paine published a 47-page pamphlet called Common Sense in 1776. Paine's political pamphlet, which was published anonymously, placed blame of the colonist suffering on the British Crown. Common Sense supported a declaration of independence. Written at the outset of the Revolution, it encouraged the colonists to strengthen their determination, resulting in the first successful anticolonial action.
Following the war, book publishing centers where established and the industry began to expand. According to the historian, Oscar Handlin, the war created a desire for printed material. Americans where interested in knowing what was happening across the continent. People where interested in political debates that had to do with their rights. .
Because of the conditions in Europe, more and more people began to immigrate to the U.S. This stimulated the Industrial Revolution. The Industrial Revolution brought about the cylinder and rotary press and the linotype machine, which sped up productions of books.
