As a part of the industry (the tiniest of cogs) and an analytical by nature person, I have, on my own, come to the disappointing realization that book business is mostly business. This book reaffirms that fact resoundingly, with historical background and numbers to back it up.
This is a terribly disheartening but an absolutely essential read for writers and an informative one for all book lovers out there.
I wasn't sure how much to expect from the book that featured quite possibly the largest amount of blurbs I've ever seen, a full 4% of the total page count. But it turned out to be an excellent read. Castleman pulls no punches as he pays out exactly what the industry was and is, using research, data, and frank shares of personal experiences. It's certainly eye-opening, though you may not like what you see. I'm not sure how I feel about his assessment of self-publishing, as in my experience its main contribution is flooding the market with crap, diluting the overall quality, and lowering readers' expectations. But all in all, there's plenty of food for thought in this (traditionally published) book.
Lamentably, the Netgalley ARC doesn't feature the photos, but the text alone is enough. Reader beware, you may never look at books the same way again.
With the mechanisms of the tricks revealed and the curtain pulled back, some of the magic inevitably dissipates. Still, it is an absolutely worthy read. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

In The Untold Story of Books Michael Castleman explores the history of publishing and the book industry.

The author of this book loves books. On page 18, Castleman states that, "To me, books are the bricks that form the foundations of culture." Since you're reading this, you probably love books too, as I do. This story of books is a fascinating look at how books have been printed and distributed--it's a history of book publishing from Gutenberg' manual printing press, through the era of mechanized industrial printing, to the present digital age. The author tells us that the purpose of the book is "...to provide authors and book lovers with informed perspective on an industry often shrouded in mystery and mythology. This book is my attempt to lift the veil, to demonstrate how the book business actually developed and continues to evolve today." (p 19) He succeeds admirably at this task. I found the book to be very informative, highly entertaining, and highly readable. I learned a lot. I am not an author, but if I was I would have found the book very useful as well. I found the ways in which the book industry has changed over the centuries and how power shifted within it as these changes came about to be extremely interesting. Castleman includes examples from his own publication history to illustrate the realities of today's book business. If you're someone who is aiming to publish or to work in the industry in some other capacity, or if you just love books, I highly recommend this book.

A book about the history of publishing, the business and craft of books and writing can be as engaging as this one, not more.
A book to be appreciated plenty by book lovers, and the writer generously offers his expertise, anecdotes and opinions.
The statistical data were interesting, and to learn that the first author known by name was…
The book is full of interesting facts and insights. Much appreciated. Well-written.

As a self-published author, I desired to read this book to learn more about the industry. Castleman includes a rich collection of facts about the history and current conditions for the publishing world. I found it super helpful and informative. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. This would be a magnificent gift for an aspiring writer.