The Physicality of Books

One of our authors, Joel Silver, has an interesting piece on books as objects up on Fine Books  and Collections.

It’s a Book—Not an App

Have you ever tried to explain book collecting to someone who’s not a collector? This has never been an easy thing to do, but it seems to be much more difficult now than it was just a few years ago. The problem is not that books are unfamiliar objects, or that collecting is seen as an unusual pursuit. Despite increased competition, books can still be found everywhere, and collectors of all kinds are featured on more television shows than ever before. What makes an explanation of book collecting more difficult now is that the main purposes books have served for more than two thousand years—the storage and provision of information—can be achieved today in many other, and often much less expensive, ways.

It was less than a century ago that written and printed materials, such as books, pamphlets, newspapers, magazines, letters, notes, signs, and labels, were the primary sources of information for literate people. There was also speech and gesture, from the instructions given by a parent or teacher to conversations among friends or associates. For the storage and retrieval of information, however, the written and printed word, in its variety of physical manifestations, provided needed information, as well as enjoyable and educational reading experiences.

Click here to keep reading.

Rob featured on “Bright Young Things”

An interview of Rob Fleck was recently posted on the Fine Books & Collections column titled “Bright Young Things” by Nate Pedersen. In this section, Pedersen interviews young booksellers about their adventures in the exciting and sometimes challenging life of
bookselling. Rob reveals his collecting interests, what he likes most about the trade, and more.

For me the one thing that I love more about the book trade more than anything else is simple: the people. Going to book fairs is one of my favorite tasks to do for Oak Knoll. Many members of the ABAA/ILAB are extremely caring, nice, interesting individuals that all share the same interests. Very few of them don’t go out of their way to help you if you have a problem. Not to mention the countless amazing stories about bookselling and book collecting that are told around a shared bottle of wine.

Click here to read more of Rob’s interview.

John Piper book featured on Fine Books & Collections blog

Beautifully produced in a striking and appealing format, John Piper in the Watkinson: An Illustrated Checklist contains a letterpress-printed cover, many illustrations, and a catalogue of the work of British architectural and topographical artist John Piper. An excellent article on the book was recently featured on the Fine Books & Collections blog. Click here to view the article, and click here for more information on the book.

Fine Books & Collections blog on the Center for Book Arts

Logo from the Center for Book Arts website

Rebecca Rego Barry from The Fine Books & Collections blog posted an interesting article on the new exhibition being held at the Center for Book Arts in New York City.

Until September 10, the exhibition Multiple, Limited, Unique: Selections from the Permanent Collection of the Center for Book Arts will feature works from those who have exhibited, trained, or worked at the Center over the past forty years. In an effort to organize, catalogue, rehouse, and digitize many of the books and catalogues collected over the years, Alexander Campos is leaing a project to take these archives and form a collection. This collection includes how-to books on paper, typography, printing, and binding technique.

Read the Fine Books & Collections blog entry on this exhibition for more information.

Click here to see a list of recent books from the Center for Book Arts available from Oak Knoll.