Books as Objects
July 23, 2010
On My Shelves 6
by Charles-Adam Foster-Simard
Sometimes I wish I were that man in the Twilight Zone episode who finds himself in the ruins of a public library, with lots of food and all the time in the world to read all the books he wants.
May 31, 2010
Melissa Klug and the Permanence Matters Initiative 12
by Emily St. John Mandel
“I truly believe that we are at a critical crossroads in publishing. As the attention, bandwidth and energy of publishing turns to e-books, we are concerned that what is currently a trend toward lesser quality print versions of books will then become a landslide.”
March 3, 2010
Judging Books by Their Covers: U.S. Vs. U.K. 42
by C. Max Magee
There are all sorts of marketing considerations behind these designs, and it’s interesting to see how designing for these two similar markets can result in very different looks.
February 25, 2010
In Our Parents’ Bookshelves 38
by Kevin Hartnett
Even a megabyte seems bulky compared to what can be conveyed in the few cubic feet of a bookshelf. What other vessel is able to hold with such precision, intricacy, and economy, all the facets of your life
February 5, 2010
Deckle Edge in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction 28
by C. Max Magee
The deckle edge dates back to a time when you used to need a knife to read a book. Those rough edges simulate the look of pages that have been sliced open by the reader.
January 14, 2010
The Great Book Purge of 2010 38
by Edan Lepucki
For about a year, the books in our apartment threatened to swallow my husband and me. Adding another bookcase, like adding another lane to an already clogged freeway, didn’t help–it only encouraged us to read more.
