A mook () is a publication which is physically similar to a

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

but is intended to remain on bookstore shelves for longer periods than traditional magazines, and is a popular format in Japan. The term is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordsbook A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...

". It was first used in 1971, at a convention of the Fédération Internationale de la Presse Périodique. American examples of mooks include ''

Make Make or MAKE may refer to: * Make (magazine), a tech DIY periodical *Make (software), a software build tool *Make, Botswana, in the Kalahari Desert *Make Architects Make Architects is an international architecture practice headquartered in Londo ...

'' and ''

Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale prod ...

''.

In Japan

The format remains popular in Japan, where it has been in use since at least the 1970s. An identical format, predating the term "mook", existed since the 1950s. The number of new mooks published in one year peaked in 2013, with over 8000 different new mooks published. A little over 6000 were published in 2019. Sales revenue, however, peaked in 1997 and has been mostly dropping ever since.

References

{{Authority control Periodicals Publications by format Publishing 1971 neologisms