Altick begins his description of the expanding book trade by highlighting the greed of publishers. In the early 1850s, publishing houses wished to maintain high book prices in order to maximize their own personal revenue. Because of this, individual consumers were unable to purchase “new publications” or original editions, taking away their individual buying ability entirely. In 1854, a writer for the Times articulated the public dismay at the purchasing system in place, saying, “We simply ask, on behalf of all classes, but especially in the interest of the great masses of the people, that the old and vicious method of proceeding shall be reversed” (Altick 291). Unfortunately, the publishers were hesitant to budge at the expense of their own profits. 

As the 1850s continued, individuals in the working and lower classes then found themselves gravitating towards libraries and book clubs, environments in which reprints could be exchanged and their desire for novels could be fulfilled at a cheaper price. Libraries then became businesses of their own, exchanging subscription fees for access to reprints. These libraries soon became the sole, direct consumers of publishers, who provided a slight discount in order to promote selling original editions in bulk. This allowed libraries to gain access to novels which they could then turn around the peddle for their own profit, while publishers were able to maximize the total copies being sold.