I am a proponent of books as well as advancing technology but somehow these two should not be married, let them be good friends instead. I am a bookmaker and I love to make blank journals not only for the accomplishment of going through the techniques in its creation but also for the possibilities of filing the pages with creativity and inspiring thoughts. As I write this passage on the computer, the sense of achieving a thought-provoking post is limited by the typeface I choose. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of creating my own typeface with my hand on paper with the well-chosen inked or graphite instrument. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the feel of the hand cramp of quickly jotting down a great idea before it ventures off into the Land of Incoherent Sentences.
The texture and smell of a book, unless it’s that horrible moldy stench, is a thrill to my senses. The weight and construction of a book are tactile qualities a slab of plastic cannot match. The heft of a collection of stories by Douglas Adams can prepare a reader for a lengthy adventure while the “Art and Fear” by David Bayles and Ted Orland, highly recommended to all artists, has an entirely different feel. I thought the 122 pages of Bayles and Orland would be a quick read but as I began to make notes in the margins and add my favorite inspiring quotes between chapters, the skinny book became larger than its shell. I love how books can change my expectation - and besides, making notes in an e-reader? Maybe that function will be in a next generation upgrade as well as the ability for authors to handwrite a personal dedication and sign their books… no, I don’t think an upgrade can adjust for this book personalization.
As I mentioned before, I am a bookmaker, a term usually needing explanation to some and it seems the more I need to explain, the more I think the bookmaker is becoming a lost artistic trade in society. I make the book fabric, the paper for the inside covers, design the text layout, print the pages, and bind everything together with a needle and thread. I used to think my craft was being overwhelmed by the factory glued spines and flimsy covers but now it is the e-readers that are pushing the traditional bookmaker into an abandoned corner.
Just stumbled across your post, and I have to say that you have a good point that books are still better than e-readers. They can provide you a sense of satisfaction knowing that you are holding an artistic work in its raw form. While there are many benefits that can be derived from the use of e-readers as oppose to books, there are little things that e-readers cannot deliver. One case at point that you've mentioned is that books give authors the opportunity to hand-write their personal dedication and signatures, and e-readers cannot do this. It's a form of personalization that many art enthusiasts like us consider as treasures. For me, nothing beats the feel of books. Thanks for your wonderful thoughts.
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