The Architecture of Books is a seminar taught by Reto Geiser at the Rice University School of Architecture. Students are introduced to the book as a means to think about the production of space, and as a critical vessel to discuss and disseminate architectural ideas.
I don't think it is too romantic to say that people will continue appreciating the incomparable tangibility of books. That being said, the cheaper digital book has proven its success as a solution to limited space and budget. The two forms will co-exist, but much more capital and effort will be invested in digital book design. I think e-book interface design is going to evolve in ways we can't even imagine. Smart reading devices such as iPads exist, so do viewing and font options -you can even import your favorite fonts into the Kindle Paperwhite-, but in addition to Amazon telling you what book you might be interested in, it'll probably suggest a specific form of that book. Based on the consumer's shopping and web surfing habits, smart devices will point readers in the direction of reading experiences enhanced by digital book designers. Amazon knows which publishers readers typically choose, and that is already a step in that direction, but with more and more applications of all kinds speaking with each other, accuracy in user preferences is probably going to generate more variety in offer and specificity in demand of digital book design.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Vy's comment. While the digital format will not make the physical book obsolete, it has and will continue to change the market. One development that I could see happening is that the digital format replaces the cheap, mass produced versions and reprints of books in effect creating a more niche market for rare, special, or first editions of physical books. These editions would most likely exhibit a higher standard for design and production techniques (Most of the books will be very big!!). I also imagine that digital versions of these books will be included in the purchase of these physical books much like digital copies of music albums are made available when you buy a record.
ReplyDeleteI imagine the physical book will become more rare for certain genres than others, architecture being one of the others. The sheer thickness and heaviness of a monograph conveys so much value about the book. Architecture books will probably become increasingly expensive and exclusive collectible objects. A tablet or computer screen can be easily cleaned and wiped; coffee spills remain on pages. The physical aspects of a printed book-- paper thickness, cover texture, etc.-- and the care taken to minimize wear contribute to a more 'ceremonious' reading experience.
ReplyDeleteBecause digital books are cheap, accessible, and customizable, they seem flimsy. However, someday this medium may be regarded as respectable.
I agree, Vy, that the digital book has brought big changes in that relatively hard-to-find books are increasingly accessible. It should easily allow readers to find ebooks that meet their preferences.
ReplyDeleteBut I would also like to draw attention to the role of the courtroom and corporations in the future of books. Ebooks are a strange market. The design of books has always been at the mercy of publishers, but now electronically they are at the mercy of both publishers and big corporate distributors like Apple and Amazon. Apple has been in the news lately to having a firm grip on prices of e-books and overriding publisher's wishes for pricing. Meanwhile, Amazon has been pushing toward a $9.99 per book model. I don't think such restrictions and standardization leave enough room for experimentation on the part of book designers. Instead, it inspires uniformity.
I think this issue coincides with our recent readings in class on how to elevate the art of book design (or film). What role do these corporations have on book design? If "technical expertise" is one of three requirements to establish book design as high art, I don't think these corporations are sympathetic to such endeavors in ebook design of forging new ground or developing a personal style. How can the industry breathe and grow when it is already so constricted by big corporations?
One fascinating aspect of printed books for me has always been the possibility of random encounters that they harbor. One doesn't have to be looking for anything specific. Leafing through a book, of whatever content, is a pleasure that can hardly be replaced in digital media. On the other hand, the format of digital content inherently instills that random encounter: one only needs to browse through tumblr, buzzfeed, vine, twitter, etc. On the other hand, if a book is being read on a digital device, one can search, find the content they're looking for and simply read it.
ReplyDeleteIn other words, it may be arguable that digital media has already recognized its intrinsic suitable format and has logically developed in that direction. So are books. They serve a different purpose better, and they will survive as long as they keep satisfying that purpose.
While I agree with what people have been posting, two other issues I would like to raise are the status of physical books as decoration/status objects and as reminders that connect us to what we have learned. In the context of a home or office, books can serve the same purpose as artwork or a poster: they change the ambiance of the room, give visitors a look into one's personality, and allow the owner to show off status in the form of either wealth or knowledge. Related to knowledge, while it is now possible to put all of one's books onto an iPod or e-reader and never be cluttered by books as physical objects, this would make it much easier to forget the content of the books. The physical presence serves as a reminder of what information the book contains and an emotional reminder of how one felt while reading it, grounding us to our memory. In this sense, it would be interesting to interpret the movie Memento through the question of the future of the book. The protagonist of this movie cannot remember anything about who he is except for what is written on scraps of paper that he keeps in his pockets or in his hotel room. Like him, we need physical objects to ground us in reality.
ReplyDeleteI think one thing physical books largely differentiated from ebook is that they more faithfully record knowledge or information. By saying this, I mean the irreducibility books brought for its content, that once it is published, then it might be harder to change or edit than by editing an InDesign file. Two things will come along this, first is certain books, like the Encyclopedia (seems kinda obsolete) would prefer books than ebooks, second is newspaper or magazines, which people would more likely consider as fast cultural product, would be dominated by ebooks. If this classification works, then books would definitely co-exist with ebooks in the future.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, as Danny said, books could be decoration. Ebooks might be damaged as time passes and thus become illegible, however, books would record time in their certain ways. Even if the paper would become yellowish and some words get hard to discern, people keep old books for different reason. Maybe it has the aura because of it's physical instead of digital. As china produced hundred years ago, which were used as daily product then but now are collected by people, in the worst sense, books would still be kept by connoisseurs for certain reasons
As the daughter of a librarian, I carry a particular nostalgia towards the physicality of books. There are so many qualities within a printed book that a digital copy just can’t replace - its scale, thickness, texture, weathering, smell, ear marks, and pencil lines that allow others to interpret the moments previous readers found meaningful. I don’t believe that these qualities can or should be simulated digitally, and because of this many of us will continue to hoard and haul around heavy boxes of books, despite their growing lack of practicality. For the future of digital books - its time to stop graphically pretending that you’re a physical book and become something new and different.
ReplyDeleteI taught myself how to read out of a fascination with the physical qualities of a book with a baby swallow on the cover. I go to libraries and second-hand book stores, because discovering the marks of previous readers is an enlightening experience on its own. Just like Lizzie, I share an enormous appreciation of the printed book as an artifact that the electronic medium simply cannot replace.
ReplyDeleteNone of the above is intended to dismiss the potentials of digital publications, however. Quite on the contrary, I believe that the digital can enhance, transform and reinvent the way we read, while acknowledging and co-existing with the printed. Manuscripts were an ancient form of social media, in that readers would not only leave margin annotations to themselves but also to the readers who would follow, establishing a conversation about the book within the book itself. Although current reading habits do not produce such engaged reader interaction, it is easy to see how the electronic medium is so well suited to revive this long abandoned social experience.
I think Danny makes a great point about the connection with what we have learned. Books also contain the power of what could be known. This makes me think of the library and its identity as a physical space. Libraries are still being built and we continue to fill them books. It’s hard for me to imagine the digital experience replacing the physicality of the library and the experience it creates.
ReplyDeleteAlso, relating to what others have said, I believe the digital side will continue to prosper. The availability and accessibility offered by the digital realm provide a great service, allowing for the transportation and distribution of books in new ways. It also provides opportunities to explore new methods of production and experience. It’s interesting to imagine new ways to experience reading. The digital has the ability to create communities from across the world. How could feedback from such an expansive group help in the understanding of a reading? For example on Soundcloud (a site that streams music) listeners are able to post comments that show up during at a specific time during the playback of the song. While many times these comments are not thoughtful, I wonder how reading a book with instant feedback from other professionals could add to an understanding of the reading.
To extend Michael's comments on the Book Market and Apple, check out this recent (brief) editorial in the NY Times:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/opinion/sunday/sunday-dialogue-tumult-in-the-book-world.html?pagewanted=1&_r=2&
The future of physical and digital books cannot not be severed from the venues in which we acquire them! I would love to speculate on how a physical bookstore might adapt to survive in the ensuing era of Print AND Screen. Clearly, for a bookstore to survive, it will have to do much more than simply curate and purvey a selection of books.
"Publication" like "education" can be very inaccurate or misleading terms. Example: Just because you have spent 8 years at University, does not mean that you are educated. The value of a book, like the value of University will depend on the knowledge that can be received and the value of that that knowledge represents. I situate the value of a book and its design by the increasing potential that this medium has for conveying information.
ReplyDeleteBy extension, the ebook will only replace the traditional bound book where the innovation surpasses the former's ability to convey information and meaning.
"Publication" like "education" can be very inaccurate or misleading terms. Example: Just because you have spent 8 years at University, does not mean that you are educated. The value of a book, like the value of University will depend on the knowledge that can be received and the value of that that knowledge represents. I situate the value of a book and its design by the increasing potential that this medium has for conveying information.
ReplyDeleteBy extension, the ebook will only replace the traditional bound book where the innovation surpasses the former's ability to convey information and meaning.
Digital books lower the cost both for publishers and readers as well as risk of being small and independent, which, in my opinion, has the potential of opening up a more diverse and more accessible market than ever before, especially when the generation who grew up using digital devices become the majority in society. But it doesn’t mean physical books will disappear: they have so many irreplaceable qualities that can’t be carried on into digital books. Digital books could be an effective filter: only better books will be made into physical form. However, this highly selective process might also result in monotony in physical book industry, killing potentially exciting possibilities. Only one thing is sure: digital books will change the notion of physical books and how people interact with them.
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