書棚と平台 : 近代日本における購書空間の形成

抄録

This study aims to examine the impact of distribution systems on publishing and reading in modern Japan. In analyzing the formation of bookstores from the Meiji through Showa periods, this essay considers the two major spaces within those stores - the bookshelf and the table - within their distinct historical contexts. While the use of bookshelves came from the West and formed an intellectual, and constructed space, traditional Japanese books for commoners were sold on tables placed outdoors to provide easy access to the masses. The modern "bookstore" integrated these two spaces, resulting in the formation of an intermediate class of readers.