While the sales of hardback books has decreased in recent years due to the digital availability of novels, people still enjoy the feel of a physical book in their hands. In the 1980s sales of hardback books were at their highest. The number of hardback books sold in the US was 18.5 million in 1980. This number steadily increased by 1.2 million in 1981 and 2.2 million in 1982. The peak of sales for hardback books came in at 28.4 million in 1988. The numbers were steady for 1983 and 1984 at 22.4 million. 1985
showed a slight decrease in sales of 1.1 million; however, 1986 and 1987 were on the
rise and steady at 25.8 million each year. By 1989, sales of hardback books fell off to 26.4 million and remained steady throughout the 1990s.