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Historical Book Production and Literacy Data
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About
Historical data on the production, publication, and sale of books and manuscripts. Studying these trends provides valuable insights into how societal income and wealth have shifted over the last few centuries, as books were historically considered a luxury item. This information also serves as a strong proxy for assessing literacy rates and overall human development across different populations. The data traces the history of written communication, including periods preceding the revolutionary invention of the printing press by Gutenberg around 1440, offering a unique look at cultural and religious factors influencing publication activity.
Columns
The dataset contains four primary columns, detailing the location, time period, and measured output:
- Entity: Identifies the country or geographical area being tracked. There are 71 unique countries represented in the records.
- Code: The corresponding standardised country code for the entity.
- Year: The temporal marker for the record, spanning a broad historical range.
- Book titles per capita (Fink-Jensen 2015): The key measurement field, quantifying book production output.
Distribution
The dataset is structured across 8312 valid records. The data files are available, typically in CSV format, including
new-books-per-million.csv and new.csv, which has a size of approximately 329.38 kB. The data is suitable for time-series analysis due to its extensive historical span.Usage
This data is highly valuable for academics, policymakers, and researchers interested in long-term societal shifts. Ideal applications include:
- Analysing historical economic inequality and changes in wealth distribution.
- Tracking the spread of ideas and cultural development over centuries.
- Modelling historical literacy rates and educational attainment indicators.
- Investigating the impact of major historical events, such as the invention of the printing press, on communication.
- Supporting studies in Literature and Finance, as well as E-Commerce Services related to publishing.
Coverage
The dataset offers extensive historical depth, covering the period from the year 1500 through to 2009. Geographically, the records span 71 distinct entities/countries, providing a wide-ranging global perspective on publication history. The focus includes both manuscript history and printed book production.
License
CC0: Public Domain
Who Can Use It
- Historians: To study pre-modern communication methods and post-industrial literary trends.
- Economists: To utilise book sales and production as an indicator of historical wealth and income.
- Education Researchers: To track literacy development and educational access as measured by book availability.
- Publishing Industry Analysts: To understand the long-term context of global book markets.
Dataset Name Suggestions
- Historical Book Production and Literacy Data
- Global Manuscript and Book Sales Trends (1500-2009)
- Tracking Centuries of Written Communication
- Book Titles Per Capita Analysis
Attributes
Original Data Source: Historical Book Production and Literacy Data
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