ABSTRACT
One of the most important developments in the trade-book industry over the past two decades has been the growth of the retail bookstore chains. Two companies that evolved in the mid-1960s, B. Dalton and Waldenbooks, have far outdistanced the others in sales volume and number of branches. The general acceptance of self-service and self-selection was of major importance in shedding the carriage-trade image that had been characteristic of bookselling and in inviting more and more people to cross the thresholds of the book emporiums. The chains attempt to offer a large selection of general books, although some emphasize certain departments and categories over others. The main departments are hardbound books, mass-market paperbacks, trade paperbacks, bargain books, and children's books. The independent booksellers complain about the advantages of the chains, especially the better buying terms and high advertising allowances the publishers give the big-quantity book buyers.
