Private or personal libraries made up of non-fiction and fiction books, (as opposed to the state or institutional records kept in archives) first appeared in classical Greece. In ancient world the maintaining of a library was usually (but not exclusively) the privilege of a wealthy individual. These libraries could have been either private or public, i.e. for individuals that were interested in using them. The difference from a modern public library lies in the fact that they were usually not funded from public sources. It is estimated that in the city of Rome at the end of the third century there were around 30 public libraries. Public libraries also existed in other cities of the ancient Mediterranean region (e.g. Library of Alexandria).[20] Later, in the Middle Ages, monasteries and universities had also libraries that could be accessible to general public. Typically not the whole collection was available to public, the books could not be borrowed and often were chained to reading stands to prevent theft.
Celsus Library was built in 135 A.D. and could house around 12,000 scrolls.

The beginning of modern public library begins around 15th century when individuals started to donate books to towns.[21] The growth of a public library system in the United States started in the late 19th century and was much helped by donations from Andrew Carnegie. This reflected classes in a society: The poor or the middle class had to access most books through a public library or by other means while the rich could afford to have a private library built in their homes.

The advent of paperback books in the 20th century led to an explosion of popular publishing. Paperback books made owning books affordable for many people. Paperback books often included works from genres that had previously been published mostly in pulp magazines. As a result of the low cost of such books and the spread of bookstores filled with them (in addition to the creation of a smaller market of extremely cheap used paperbacks) owning a private library ceased to be a status symbol for the rich.

In library and booksellers’ catalogues, it is common to include an abbreviation such as “Crown 8vo” to indicate the paper size from which the book is made.

What is the difference between self-publishing and approaching traditional houses? The name is self suggestive and it explains the motive all by itself. When you decide to self-publish your book or novel, it means that you have to undertake the cost of publication, production and marketing all by yourself. This is in fact a very cost effective method of publication because you hold the rights to the book and you do not have to follow a default package set by the publishing house. When you approach a publishing house, they will be more than glad to burden you with every aspect of book promotion that they can find. Even after handling them the responsibility of getting your book published, you are still expected to promote your book yourself. That makes no sense. Self-publishing can produce even better results then established publishing houses since it is you who are involved with ever aspect of the book including the writing, the designing and the publishing!