After reading Chapter 2 of Amaranth Borsuk’s The Book, the curation of the book itself went from an intricate handmade artform to a mass production to fit the newfound purpose of the book, which is to use it for its content. Last Tuesday’s class in the Special Collections, we took the time to observe a variety of texts and the craftsmanship of the book itself. The covers, bindings, and format of the text revealed a history of the book without the reader even having to open it. For example, the intricate handmade cover of the Dominican Catholic Hymns book portrayed its importance with its ornate embellishments and high-quality leather. Being able to see the different handcrafted books in person highlighted the dramatic shift from books as art objects to books as content-based mediums.
I took a glance at my own personal book collection, and couldn’t help but notice that the majority of the books on my shelves are paperbacks with creased spines and flimsy covers that lacked any artistry. I flipped through the pages and noticed that most of the paper itself was so thin that I could see the words faintly through the other side. These observations display how “the printing press changed the book by facilitating its proliferation and separating the idea of the book from the object” (Borsuk, 76). Prior to the printing press, the book reflected more than the content inside. It was a portrayal of status and wealth not just a container of knowledge. The printing press made books more accessible and created the shift from sacred, one-of-a-kind artifacts to everyday commodities, valued primarily for the content they carried rather than the material form they took.
In my SOC730 course: Advanced Social Theory Class, we are discussing Marx theories that explain that with the increase in automation and capitalism we will see a decrease in work hours and more time for individuals to pursue arts and , to my understanding, more time to appreciate art. Will automation continue to decrease the artistry of books leaving them as disposable vessels of information? Or, perhaps, will it create space for a resurgence of book crafting as people search for meaning and beauty in tangible, handmade forms?
Hi Micaela! I have noticed myself adopting changing perspective surrounding books after our explorations in Special Collections. In today’s modern digital age, I prefer the tactile and physical experience of reading a book as opposed to reading on a laptop. I valued my books as more significant to my learning and leisurely experiences than my laptop, however, my assessment of modern books has changed in this course. After seeing books that have been handcraft and given such delicate attention to detail, I have come to see my books as less significant as they are mass produced with cheap materials that have little human touch or ingenuity behind them. I am interested in your perspective of these materials becoming “disposable vessels of information” as there is something to be learned from them, however, the artistry that demands revery has been lost.
Good to see you making the connection between the reading and our time time, especially considering Marx’s theory of automation and its impact on books and reading. I hope you will lead us here in class.
Hey Micaela, I liked how you tied Borsuk’s ideas to what we saw in Special Collections. The contrast you described between the ornate hymn book and the paperbacks on your shelf really stood out to me. It shows how much the meaning of a book depends on its material form. Your question about automation was also really interesting. It made me wonder if people might turn back to handmade books in the future, not because they need them, but because they want something physical and beautiful.
Hello Micaela, I too also glanced at my collection of books and noticed all the creases as you mentioned. Pretty cool when we look at our books and can see things now that we never could before. Thanks for sharing!