Government publishing in Brazil

Brazil's size, federal structure, and extent of government intervention in the economy mean that its official publishing output is considerable: some 6.000 books and pamphlets a year and about 1,000 serial titles. The development of official publishing since de facto independence in 1808 reflects the country's administrative history. Bibliographic control, at least of federal level publishing, is now at last being achieved, but distribution is still poorly organized, and edition size often fails to correspond with demand. The range of material is vast, although publishing trends tend to reflect the importance of personalism in government in Brazil. Technical and esthetic standards are briefly touched upon.