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.