The research project aims at reconstructing the history of dissemination of scientific knowledge in West German paperback editions since the 1950ies. This dissemination is un-derstood as second-order popularization. In contrast to the popularization of science in the second German Empire or during the Weimar Republic, the post-war paperback no longer offers a popular version of knowledge – and paradoxically, precisely because it resembles a mass article and exhibits its popularity. The research project analyses the changing roles of scientists and publishers in publishing scientific knowledge on a massive scale.