This article presents a review of Cynthia Brokaw's "Commerce in Culture," published in 2007, which examines the spread of book culture in China by focusing on the book-publishing industry in Sibao, a district in southeastern China's Fujian Province, from the late 17th to the early 20th century, showing that through the book trade in this hinterland, Chinese culture was disseminated to groups of economically challenge people for the first time. As the book industry grew, so did local society. The reviewer notes that while Brokaw's approach is different, her research is sound, and she has brought a new perspective to the study of Chinese social and cultural history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]