Spans more than four centuries of publishing, from 1593 when the first book was printed in the country to 2003 when the first nation-wide survey on reading attitudes and preference was conducted. Through its case studies of twentieth-century Philippine literary forms and texts that may be referred to as the best-selling books in their time, the work both highlights and puts in wider context the publishing, manufacturing, distribution, reception, and survival of these best sellers, and their impact on and relation to the conditions and circumstances in the culture, society, politics, and economics of the time.