Paper is paper is paper . . . or is it?
Not long ago I walked into my neighborhood Borders to look for a new title about a young man who chronicled a life on the Great Lakes. I was really interested in this book and I wanted the case bound book so I could enjoy the read and then… place it on my shelf for future glances at the spine to remember the enjoyment of the content contained therein. I found the source of my search but was so disappointed in the book that I put it back on the shelf. The paper was essentially parchment (not by design) and there was no case bound book ever produced. The soft cover had glue squirts throughout and wasn’t close to being square. Sometimes I think we are hurting ourselves when we minimize the visual and tactile feel of a book especially by choosing the lowest cost papers to carry our stories to all the readers out there waiting to tear into them.
September 25th, 2010 at 6:44 pm
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been put into situations like this – it’s really a shame when you’re reading a great book, but the quality of the book itself is so pitiful that it lessens your enjoyment of reading it. It’s such a joy to read books that have been put together well… it really pays off when book manufacturers go the extra mile and produce books they can be proud of.
September 30th, 2010 at 3:16 pm
I totally agree but must give all the credit to the publishers who determine the type of material(s) to be used in their books. One area where publishers set themselves apart is in the use and style of end-sheets. I love opening a book to see a blast of color or a design which ties into the story perfectly. I think this harkens back to my days of reading pirate books as a kid and gazing over the map printed across the end-sheets. So mysterious and thrilling to see the route that the pirates took and using the end-sheets to carry the message was and remains genius!