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They are believed to have emerged around the late 17th century, if not earlier, and by [[1808]], booklenders in Edo numbered at least 656, outnumbering public bathhouses in the city. Most maintained storefronts, but conducted much of their business through visits directly to the homes of regular customers, or by peddling books on the street. The book peddler, with a rectangular pile of books on his back, is actually a very common sight in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' [[genre painting]]s. Traveling booklenders - or perhaps staff in the employ of a booklender from one of the major urban centers - are also known to have made visits to more rural communities and individuals.
They are believed to have emerged around the late 17th century, if not earlier, and by [[1808]], booklenders in Edo numbered at least 656, outnumbering public bathhouses in the city. Most maintained storefronts, but conducted much of their business through visits directly to the homes of regular customers, or by peddling books on the street. The book peddler, with a rectangular pile of books on his back, is actually a very common sight in ''[[ukiyo-e]]'' [[genre painting]]s. Traveling booklenders - or perhaps staff in the employ of a booklender from one of the major urban centers - are also known to have made visits to more rural communities and individuals.
The [[seal]] of the ''kashihon'ya'' would often be placed in the front of the book - either on the inside cover, or on the first page. Along with the seals of later owners of the books (e.g. 20th century Western collectors), these booklenders' seals provide interesting and useful information about the provenance or history of a particular copy of a book.
Prices varied dramatically from city to city and from one booklender to another, but are cited by historian [[Eiko Ikegami]] as being roughly 1/6th the cost of buying the book outright. She estimates the cost of purchasing a thin ''[[kibyoshi|kibyôshi]]'' volume at less than 16 ''[[mon]]'', the cost of a bowl of [[soba]], but more than the cost of a visit to the public bathhouse.
Prices varied dramatically from city to city and from one booklender to another, but are cited by historian [[Eiko Ikegami]] as being roughly 1/6th the cost of buying the book outright. She estimates the cost of purchasing a thin ''[[kibyoshi|kibyôshi]]'' volume at less than 16 ''[[mon]]'', the cost of a bowl of [[soba]], but more than the cost of a visit to the public bathhouse.