Not every European is/was happy with the A series of paper formats. Jan Tschichold (1902—1974), arguably one of the most influential typographers of all time, strived against it, arguing it was unpleasant for office use (comments by jgrahamc and johnchristopher go into this direction) and downright unsuitable for book use.

I can't seem to find an English-language version of his A series rant (found in Erfreuliche Drucksachen, p. 111), but for anyone interested in traditional book layout, this (English-language) essay is a goldmine: http://www.arts.ucsb.edu/faculty/reese/classes/artistsbooks/... (pp. 39 f. touch on the A series).