# Your book fetish



## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

I will of course read any book, in whatever format, if needs be, but I do have a few book fetishes and was wondering if I'm alone.

I prefer paperback to hardback, and the mass market format (17.5 X 11cm) to the tradeback (19.5 X 12.5cm). I like the feel and smell of a new book, but really prefer the well-read look (creased spine, dog-eared etc), but only if _I've_ made it that way.

Kindle and e-readers... NO!!

PS. I feel the need to go and wash my fingertips after writing that last sentence.


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## Deleted member 53128 (Jul 20, 2013)

Yeah, gotta love the smell of a new book, the printing ink and the clean, white paper... Aaah. Oh yeah, hardback if possible, the standard size or the big size if the book has illustrations. The best books are ol, and originally made in the style of the beastiary of Tolkien's works as done by David Day.


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## patskywriter (Jul 20, 2013)

I'll read words in any form. When I was a little kid, I'd read the toothpaste tubes, aspirin bottles, bus advertisements, and shoe boxes. If I came across magazines in Spanish, French, or Portuguese, I'd pick out the words I knew and try to make sense of the articles. Naturally, I like books, but I don't care if they're new or used, or if the pages are dull beige or bright white. I don't have an e-reader, but I happily settle in with the kindle reader on my laptop. I enjoy reading, period.


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## escorial (Jul 20, 2013)

I recentley started buying hardbacks of amazon..an they never come with the dusk jacket.


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## BreakingMyself (Jul 20, 2013)

I definitely prefer paperbacks, mainly for handling purposes. I'm buying a lot of physical books at the moment but I might have to cull my collection or start getting e-books again, unless the missus doesn't mind turning our bedroom into a library...


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## FleshEater (Jul 20, 2013)

I love hardback. Simply for the collectible aspect.


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## Circadian (Jul 20, 2013)

It depends.  Some books I like to get in hardback, others in paperback.  One thing though, is that if I'm collecting a series, they all have to be in the same format, preferably with the same style cover art.


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## Govinda (Jul 20, 2013)

I entertain no such fetishes.  I know many consider Kindle and other e-readers to be the devil's own work, but for me my Kindle has been a savior.  I live in Puerto Rico and when Borders closed shop I lost my _only_ local source to English language books.  Kindle saved me from having to live in a literary desert.


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## Ariel (Jul 20, 2013)

I love my Nook.  I love all my other books too.  But I find my Nook to be my favorite.  I can carry only one, maybe two books comfortably in my purse.  With my Nook that number goes up exponentially.  I love the freedom and options it gives me.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

amsawtell said:


> I can carry only one, maybe two books comfortably in my purse.



But you see, this is the thing I've never understood about kindle and other e-readers. Why would you need to carry more than one book on a day to day basis anyway?


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## patskywriter (Jul 20, 2013)

OurJud said:


> But you see, this is the thing I've never understood about kindle and other e-readers. Why would you need to carry more than one book on a day to day basis anyway?



I realize that you're addressing amsawtell, but I often stuff books in my backpack instead of (or in addition to) my laptop. I *love* my local library and I take out books just about every couple of weeks. When a friend and I go out to eat, I often take how-to books* and we pass them back and forth, saying, "Hey, look at this!" and "Wow, that's a great idea!" Sharing books can be quite social, fun, and even exciting. Sharing the kindle app on my laptop can be fun, too, but that would mean having to sit next to each other. We usually prefer to sprawl all over the booth and get really comfortable.    (Obviously, if I did own a kindle or nook, I could be pass it around as easily as a book—but I don't.)

*   gardening, carpentry, woodworking, etc


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## Govinda (Jul 20, 2013)

OurJud said:


> But you see, this is the thing I've never understood about kindle and other e-readers. Why would you need to carry more than one book on a day to day basis anyway?



Because I usually have 3 reads going at any given time.  A "heavy" read (for me, usually something to do with linguistics), a "light" read (I'm reading _The Sparrow_ right now), and an "adult" read (yeah, nuff' said there)


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## SarahStrange (Jul 20, 2013)

There's something so much more satisfying about shelves filled with books, than a kindle or nook filled with just as many.

I love floppy, thick books with thin crackling pages. Anyone who has had to use the Norton Anthology of Literature for a class or whatnot will know what I mean.

And old books. Really old. I recently found a first edition of The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck at my university booksale. I could _see _the ware on it. I Love that in a book: knowing your fingers are not the only ones to have turned the pages with reverence. It gives it such history.


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

Fetish? 

Bit of a stretch to call your book proclivities a 'fetish'. 

I have no proclivities. I'll read a book of any size, shape, and on any platform.


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

Why the hatred for e-readers? The Kindle Fire HD is the best £150 I've ever spent.


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## Skodt (Jul 20, 2013)

^Same with me. I love the Ereaders. I have a Nook color. Before that I had the regular Kindle. Now I pick up a book and it feels awkward. I want to know how many pages are in my chapter. It helps me know if I can read more before I go to sleep. I know I could count, but its cool just to point and know. Also It's a one handed device. No matter how big the book. Also I can put it down and read it while doing other task; not having to worry about the wind flipping my page. Also I never have to remember my page, or find a book marker again. 

I will quit now. Sound's like I am a sells man.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

Sam said:


> Why the hatred for e-readers? The Kindle Fire HD is the best £150 I've ever spent.



It's just a personal thing, Sam. I know I'm not alone in my dislike of them, but I obviously can't and don't speak for anyone else. You'd think I'd love them with my fascination for sci-fi and future gadgetry, but for me, they're everything that a real book isn't. They're cold, clinical, expensive (relatively speaking when you consider what it replaces), and from what I can gather from the few I know who own one, and what I've read in kindle reviews, absolutely littered with typos and poor formatting.

Reading is about much more than just deciphering a series of sentences.


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## SarahStrange (Jul 20, 2013)

Hatred is pretty harsh... It's just not satisfying to me not being able to feel the pages in my hands. I have a Kindle. I use it, just not as much as I use paper books, or with as much pleasure.


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## Kyle R (Jul 20, 2013)

I'm a recent convert to electronic books, mostly due to convenience. It's so easy to go on Amazon and download a book or two for a fraction of the price of one, and also have them immediately delivered to my kindle.

Being able to highlight, add notes, and jump through chapters is also convenient. It's true that those things can be done with physical books, too, but the process isn't as streamlined. I can toggle through a library of many books in a few seconds, comparing passages from different authors, while lying in bed, whereas if I wanted to do the same with real books, it'd take a considerable amount of time for the same results.

Also, I like to upload my in-progress works to my Kindle so I can read them to get a feel for how they will look when finished/published.

I still love the charm of physical books, but for me, that's mostly all it is. They're charming. But they aren't anywhere near as convenient as an e-reader.

Imagine trying to take a whole library of physical books on a plane or a train! You can carry hundreds of books in the space of a single tablet.


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## Jeko (Jul 20, 2013)

Book _fetish_? When Anthony Burgess said_ "Literature is all, or mostly, about sex", _I didn't think he meant this... 

Can't do e-readers, but I have no use for them. Maybe once I'm spending most of my life on planes I'll change my mind.


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## patskywriter (Jul 20, 2013)

KyleColorado said:


> … Also, I like to upload my in-progress works to my Kindle so I can read them to get a feel for how they will look when finished/published.…



Waitaminute—upload your WiP to your kindle? You can _do_ that?


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## Govinda (Jul 20, 2013)

patskywriter said:


> Waitaminute—upload your WiP to your kindle? You can _do_ that?




Yeah, just have your word-processor export as .mobi


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

patskywriter said:


> Waitaminute—upload your WiP to your kindle? You can _do_ that?



Of course.


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## PiP (Jul 20, 2013)

OurJud said:


> I prefer paperback to hardback, and the mass market format (17.5 X 11cm) to the tradeback (19.5 X 12.5cm). I like the feel and smell of a new book, but really prefer the well-read look (creased spine, dog-eared etc), but only if _I've_ made it that way.
> 
> Kindle and e-readers... NO!!
> 
> PS. I feel the need to go and wash my fingertips after writing that last sentence.



I'm with you on this; my friends call me a dinosaur because I refuse to buy a Kindle! Bah humbug 

One of my favourite activities is scouring secondhand and charity shops looking for books. Sundays, you will probably find me at a local flea market where I meet other expats selling their books. I _always_ carry a book with me even if I'm just going down the shops. OK, an e-reader would not be as bulky but I've just invested in a much larger handbag, so I always have my camera, book and writing notepad - just in case!

Kindles are so impersonal.

PiP


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

Impersonal in what way? I don't get that. People don't use antique mobile phones because the new ones are impersonal. They don't use snail mail because e-mail is impersonal. 

The Kindle is a piece of hardware that stores all of my books in one place, doesn't require half the storage of a good-sized book (not to mention four or five going on holiday), and has built-in apps (dictionary, thesaurus, Internet) that can be accessed with ease. Don't understand what a word is? Click on it and a second later you have the definition. No need for dictionaries, book markers, nightlights, magnifying glasses to read small print (Kindle can change the font family, size, and the colour of the screen), highlighter to highlight important parts (you can highlight and add footnotes in any book) or anything like that. You charge it fully and it lasts eight weeks.

It's the best thing I've ever bought in terms of being an author. I don't have to make a trip to my local library/bookstore to get a new book. I order it off Amazon, and ten seconds later it's on my Kindle via Whispernet – and for half the price, I might add.


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## Skodt (Jul 20, 2013)

^Yes. Someone said it was expensive, but it knocks the price of books almost in half. A new release could cost you 20-25$ for a hardcover. On kindle it is half the price. It is rare that a book cost more than 10$ on Kindle. Also all the free books. Every site has a free section. These books usually have outlasted their copyrights, but there are many classics to choose from.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

Skodt said:


> ^Yes. Someone said it was expensive, but it knocks the price of books almost in half.



That was me, and I did say relatively speaking. By that I mean leave a paperback on a bus and it costs you a couple of quid to get yourself another copy off amazon. Leave your kindle on the bus and it's going to cost you 90 quid to replace it.

And Sam, by impersonal, piglet means just that... impersonal. I'm not trying to be clever when I say that, but perhaps it's only those with a deep dislike for e-readers who can understand why they feel so impersonal.

Also, it must be noted that I have absolutely no need for an e-reader. I never have more than one book on the go at the same time, only ever take one book on holiday with me (and probably won't even finish that), and never take a book out with me. So why would I need an e-reader?

But beside all that, there's nothing like the feel of a dog-eared paperback in your hand; the smell, the rustle as you turn the page, even the action of folding it back on itself so you can hold it in one hand 

PS There's also the typos and bad formatting that seems to go hand in hand with e-readers from what I can gather.


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## Gargh (Jul 20, 2013)

I've used the Kindle app and downloaded free classics thinking 'Great, free stories,' but I never read them. When I want to read I like to switch off my laptop/phone and take a break from technology.

I'm giving an actual Kindle a go though at the moment. I've borrowed one, downloaded a couple of novels, and been using it for the last couple of weeks and I haven't finished one yet. I'm stalking the house for something of my other half's to read instead because I really dislike it. 

I can't flick ahead to see how many pages are left or where I can stop, without reading a few words. 
I can't skim easily. 
I don't like to know how much of the total book is left, especially in percentages. 
I can't concentrate on its dull screen. 
I can't get a lot of books I want.
I find it ugly.
I just don't enjoy it.

I like pens, notes, BIG dictionaries, bookmarks, night lights, dog-eared pages, a few stranger's notes, care-worn spines and the thud of a book falling out of my hand because it was so good I couldn't put it down and fell asleep still reading it. I like having to investigate words and ideas from the story elsewhere because it inevitably leads to more story. I love the activity of reading as much as the end result and I don't get this with a kindle.

The only thing I like so far is that I don't mind reading it in the bath because I don't care if it gets wet.

I'm still going to give it a go for poetry and short fiction and see what that's like. I've a feeling it may be better but probably not enough to warrant getting one.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

^^ Everything he just said... except the bit about having borrowed a kindle and giving it a go with poerty and short fiction.


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## PiP (Jul 20, 2013)

Hi Sam,

I understand the whole Kindle sales pitch  

As I said, I'm a dinosaur. For example, I still use the on/off switch on the TV rather than the remote control - iphone, yep have one, but rarely use it. Considering I live on the net my friends think it's hilarious that I have such an aversion to gadgets and gizmos!

Yes, I will eventually succumb to temptation and buy the devil e-reader. Hell won't quite freeze over but it will most definitely snow 

When I eventually get a Kindle, yours will be the first book I buy.


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## The Prodigy (Jul 20, 2013)

I think that sometimes people forget writing is an artwork. And like any  piece of art, the medium upon which it is created is vital. Imagine  equating the physical pieces in the Louvre with their digital  counterparts seen online or on a tablet. Crazy right?

I love my  Nexus, great for reading magazines, notes, snippets of reading that  interest my friends, and other things. But - and I have made successful  attempts to use my tablet - literature should be read on the proper  medium. There is a dimension to the texture which adds to the reading  experience. Sadly this is changing; writers are composing their artwork  for the digital realm. And in my opinion, losing a dimension.


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

We're not looking at a painting. We're reading words. I hardly think it matters what medium we use. Words look the same no matter where you read them.


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## PiP (Jul 20, 2013)

Hi Sam,

I can tell you've never _hugged_ a poetry book


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## Gumby (Jul 20, 2013)

I love the smell of new books and yeah, I can get high just sniffin' deeply in a library. However, I don't see myself turning up my nose at e-readers. Reading is reading, to me.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

Sam said:


> Words look the same no matter where you read them.



But it's not about the words. It's about the medium they're printed on. Why can't you understand that some people just love books? Not the stories contained within, or the words, but the book itself.

A kindle doesn't have _any _of the characteristics of a real book, and it dosn't get any more complicated than that for those of us who don't like e-readers.


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## Sam (Jul 20, 2013)

Does it really matter? They're _words_, for crying out loud. They mean the same thing whether they're in Garamond or Comic Sans.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

Sam said:


> Does it really matter? They're _words_, for crying out loud. They mean the same thing whether they're in Garamond or Comic Sans.



This is getting ridiculous now. We're arguing from two different perspectives and will never get one another to see our individual views. I think this is one of those 'let's agree to disagree' moments.


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## SarahStrange (Jul 20, 2013)

> I hardly think it matters what medium we use. Words look the same no matter where you read them.



This is another subject that is highly relative. To me, there is a big difference, but that's just how _my_ mind works.

It's the connection. Being able to touch the ink, to feel the pages under my fingers and smell the paper.... it means a lot. It's more a personal, and direct connection than through the screen of an e-reader. 

I compare it to walking barefoot in an untouched field. There's something about the rawness of the original form of nature, compared to say, a garden in the suburbs. One is original, the other is exceptionally man-made. Words on paper: the original, timeless form of literature. E-readers: the conversion that technology has demanded.

But, ya know, whatever blows up your skirt, floats your boat, flies your kite, dudes and dudettes.


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## Myers (Jul 20, 2013)

I love my nook. While I enjoy and appreciate the tactile experience of  reading books, I love the convenience of the the e-reader. I don't feel  like I'm losing any connection to the written word. To me, good writing  and storytelling transcend the medium. If I like what I'm reading, it  makes no difference to me whatsoever. If people want to stick to books,  great. But don't imply that I'm somehow not doing it right or that I'm  missing out on something. I'm capable of making that choice for myself.


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## Deleted member 49710 (Jul 20, 2013)

Lately I've had a chance to look through a bunch of original manuscripts from the 19teens and twenties, that this author I study wrote out all by hand. He had terrible handwriting, so it's a puzzle sometimes, and mostly the words are the same as in the printed book. But it's still cool as hell to read ink on paper, put there by the writer's actual hand.


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

Myers said:


> But don't imply that I'm somehow not doing it right or that I'm  missing out on something. I'm capable of making that choice for myself.



I don't recall anyone implying anything of the sort, Myers. All we've done, individually, is stress our views on the two formats.


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## patskywriter (Jul 20, 2013)

I think that those folks who are saying that they strongly prefer books to e-readers must have a romantic notion toward books and reading. Even though I like both books and e-readers, I believe that I know where they're coming from. I am now living in a house surrounded by my grandparents' and great-grandparents' stuff. I enjoy thumbing through their 100+-year-old books. I'm fascinated by the handwritten recipes that my great-gran wrote in her White House Cookbook, and I love looking at the birth and death dates that are scrawled in old bibles. Books can be quite romantic, fanciful, and imagination-stirring. Scrolling down an e-reader doesn't sound nearly as emotional an experience as holding books previously owned by long-dead loved ones; to me, that's representative of what is sometimes lost as we embrace new forms of technology.


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## Lewdog (Jul 20, 2013)

Well I have to say I have a pretty kinky book fetish.  I prefer cheap ones that are missing either a front or back cover.  Either is fine with me.


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## Sandy (Jul 20, 2013)

I can see the convenience of e-readers and I can understand the environmental aspects of it and certainly respect everyone's preference.  But I also have a first edition of Winnie the Pooh that my grandfather had rebound by an expert at restorations when I was little girl; he gave it to me as a birthday gift, the third generation to cherish it.  Sorry, but you just can't hold that much emotion on a Kindle as nice as they are.


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## patskywriter (Jul 20, 2013)

Sam said:


> Does it really matter? They're _words_, for crying out loud. They mean the same thing whether they're in Garamond or Comic Sans.



Some people are, well, more _romantic_ about things and that should be okay. Let's take music: I'd say that most people of a certain age have made the transition from vinyl to mp3 quite easily—after all, music is music. But even though I'm a DJ and use mp3s exclusively on the job, I can tell that there's a subtle difference in sound and loss in quality. Listening to the LP/vinyl version of Quincy Jones' "Killer Joe" is a more pleasurable experience than listening to the mp3 version on my laptop. I can't explain it—there's more _presence_ somehow, whatever that is. If I made a public complaint, I can imagine that most people would tell me not to be so fussy and to get over it. 

Back to books vs e-readers. I realize that "words are words," of course. But one thing I really like about e-readers is that, now that I'm 57, my eyes appreciate it when I enlarge the words when I need to. And by the way, there's a huge difference between Garamond, a favorite and one of the fonts I use for my newspaper, and Comic Sans. If I tried to read a book written in Comic Sans, my eyes would pop right out of my head, LOL!


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## OurJud (Jul 20, 2013)

patskywriter said:


> And by the way, there's a huge difference between Garamond, a favorite and one of the fonts I use for my newspaper, and Comic Sans.



Comic Sans makes me feel physically sick to look at. Whoever designed it needs a good talking to, and anyone who uses it needs a short sharp slap to the face.


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## Grape Juice Vampire (Jul 21, 2013)

Anyway I can get a book really. Though, I do prefer hardback as they stand up better during the constant re-readings, the constant travel. I will say that I cannot stand calibri. It hurts to look at and makes my eyes blur. Comic Sans does the same thing to me though not as bad. I try to avoid it though. don't mind E-Readers, I have a Kindle Fire and read on it, my particular issue with it is the book I'm reading itself on the Kindle. I just can't get into it, it reads like it was just phoned in.


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## Myers (Jul 21, 2013)

OurJud said:


> I don't recall anyone implying anything of the sort, Myers. All we've done, individually, is stress our views on the two formats.



Check out one of the comments you "liked." 



> literature should be read on the proper  medium.



No further explanation required.


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## OurJud (Jul 21, 2013)

It may be written as an instruction, but it's still only a view, Myers. Must we prefix _every _view we offer with "In my opinion..." ?


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## Myers (Jul 21, 2013)

For the sake of clear communication, if it’s not an instruction, then it’s easy enough to avoid putting it in those terms, isn’t it? And no other qualification would be necessary. Otherwise, I’m going to take it the way it’s written.


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## Lewdog (Jul 21, 2013)

In my opinion...I think it is best to just laissez-faire, "let it be."  You guys are starting to make me feel like I'm at a Nazi book burning rally!  

Book Burning In History: Martin Luther To Harry Potter (PHOTOS)


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## The Prodigy (Jul 22, 2013)

I scroll through the comments and I smile. 

This discussion is one I've  had several times over with others who read more than I. It always boils  down to the experiences that stirs us inside. Remember when you read  that first novel or short story that changed your perspective on your  own life? Written those first _inspired _words that bubbled forth  from your soul? I am being sentimental - I know. But words have a  meaningful depth connected to everyone in different ways, which leads me to a conclusion often repeated: words and what they are contained within are special. For me, the physical presentation of work on paper, font type, book size, smell, gilded or not, etc. all add to the strings between the writer's inspiration and my soul being inspired. It may seem silly. Perhaps it is silly. 

I would make a suggestion: attach yourself to a writer during the process of creating the ark that will hold and present his art to the world. Every detail matters. *For those writers and appreciative readers, the physical page is the proper medium. *

That is changing with tablets. And like so many things of the past moving forward, individuals are choosing convenience and price over the physical. There is nothing wrong with that, hence, why many readers who love books have e-readers. Like me. And if some do not see or recognize the _strings _of a piece, then whats the fuss? Hooray for e-readers! In addition, many writers perform their art without thought to the pesky intricacies of a book. They create and market to the digital medium. For those writers and appreciative readers, digital tablets are the intended and proper medium. 

The main thing I glean: know your audience and what _they like _if you intend to share your inspirations.


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## AzhureHeart (Jul 26, 2013)

fetish?  hardback?  Yes please.


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## OurJud (Jul 26, 2013)

I also love those rare paperbacks with _really_ flexible covers. I don't know what they make them out of, and they feel as strong and protective as a regular cover, only they're really flexible... almost floppy, in fact.


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## AzhureHeart (Jul 26, 2013)

Now that this has been on my mind...there is this old book I found at a second hand sporting goods shop (random I know).  I had read about this book in another book, so I bought it.  I have never read it and the front cover is so faded...but it puts me right back in the place the book I read put me in.


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