Author Archives: Kiersten Brown

The Book. Chapter two

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When reading this next chapter, the first paragraph really caught my eye. We saw a picture of the girdle book at the end of last class and it stuck with me. “Girdle Books, a popular form among pilgrims in the Middle Ages, continued to be made: with an oversized soft leather cover whose flaps could be looped under one’s belt for easy consultation on the go.” (pg.43) This is interesting to think about or imagine. I would have just put my book in a bag, carried it, or even had a kindle in replacement nowaday. The image of the girdle book stuck with me, this little sack that carried the book around seems unnecessary to me. But I guess everything we have now could be classified the same way, accessories more than necessity. Aesthetics more than need. That’s what our world is made up of, items and things that we can consume or own. This has existed forever, and it has progressively gotten worse: I am not immune to this. I love little knick knacks and collecting things I do not need. I am not sure what that says about me, but it makes me feel better that even in the Middle Ages they were doing this aesthetic with books too. The Girdle itself is like many unnecessary things I own, and it’s interesting to think of how this made books more portable than before. In my mind books had always traveled and moved with you, but I guess when I really think about it this isn’t true, they used to live in libraries of the rich. The Girdle is just another example of this aesthetic obession of the book, and with everything else we now consume, that might not be necessary.

Further in the chapter the rise and importance of Codex books also caught my eye. “As codex books became private items, rather than shared objects experienced publicly, copyists simply couldn’t keep up with demand.” (pg. 43) I keep forgetting the fact that books were something that were shared publicly and read aloud. The image of seeing people on the street reading a novel out loud is foreign to me, that would never happen now. But this is how it all started, and as the codex was created books became private, expensive, and a sign of education and status. Rather than stories being shared in pubs or public places they were being read privately in the home. This is how reading has always been for me, rather than when I was little and my parents read to me, so the fact that this was not normal is intriguing. Reading was related to wealth and status rather than community, so when I really think about it that is true still. Reading is a privilege not everyone has access to. Reading is political, as most things are, and reading is something that is meant to be shared and discussed, but usually it is not. I am really enjoying the new perspective this book is giving me on the history of books but also the history of reading as a political, wealth, or status statement of the past.

The Book

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When reading chapter one of The Book, I was intrigued by the history of how the book has evolved as an object. From rock, to clay, to the papyrus scroll, etc- the book has changed forms so many times throughout our history. I knew that paper and the book evolved, but I had not realized how or why these technologies were created. To record history yes, but more importantly it seemed writing and reading was a big way to show off your education or high status in society. On page 15 of The Book it says “Unlike today’s libraries, the collection was developed not as a public good, but as a symbol of King Ashurbanpal’s stature and scholarly achievement. Evidence suggests the library was also consulted by priests, professionals, and members of the learned class- some tablets are inscribed with threats to would-be thieves demanding borrowed tablets be returned the same day.” This quote stood out to me because of the discussion of status and education like I mentioned earlier, but also the discussion of libraries. We talked in class today about how libraries have changed and what a library is has changed. The SDSU library (shoutout Trinity who mentioned this) has no books. It does, but you don’t see them unless you are searching for them. When I think of a library I have always thought about it as a home for books, or a quiet place where you go to check out a book. Now a library, like the Love library, is a place to study, chat, eat, and sit. Old libraries were used for the educated and the wealthy, not for the public, which is such a weird concept to think about because to me the library is the most public shared space I can think of. Books are meant to be shared and discussed, they are not meant to sit on shelves unread. I go to the library everyday of the week to do my school work, but in my four years of being here I have never checked out a book- I do that at the bookstore, where you pay for the book. In high school the library is how I always thought it was- a quiet place to rent out/read books, college libraries are very different. I am not sure when this changed or why, or maybe they were always like this. But until the discussion we had today I had never even thought about this fact. The library of my youth is drastically different from the library of my now. I guess this is like the book itself as an object, the library a place that used to hold them, that has changed as well after time. Now I am more motivated to actually check out a book here at SDSU and check out the stacks, but before this class I have never done so in my college experience. I can’t even remember the last time I went to an actual library with books. 

The Broadview Introduction to Book History 

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After reading the introduction to this text I was very intrigued with the discussion of the different types of reader, and seeing how I felt that I resonated with both types. “Immersive reading might mean that you are incapable of stopping to add a note, and even that you are able to read without being distracted by your environment” versus “Hyper-reading includes searching, filtering, skimming, and hyper-reading all the ways in which we might read a newspaper, magazine or website” (pages 7&8). Hyper-reading versus immersive reading are two types of reading that I think I fluctuate between. Sometimes I hyper-read when I am reading an article or text for class that is super long, or sometimes I will immersive read it if I need to fully understand and think about the text. It also depends if I am reading for a class or because I want to, sometimes I want to get through something fast and I will just hyper-read it. When thinking about these two different types of reading- that I had never heard about before- I realized how much I really use these types of reading in everyday life. That was super interesting to read about and then apply to my life, as I think it’ll help me better fluctuate the two when I need to the most.

That was not the only concept that intrigued me in this text, but also the general conversation about what makes someone a good or valuable reader. “The history of reading also raises questions about the nature or quality of attention itself” (page 6). We have sort of talked about this idea in this class, but I have also talked about it in my other classes as well. I find it interesting how some people think that someone can be “good” at reading. I do not think there is a “good” way to read, reading is good in general. I do not think one type of reading is more valuable than the other- like immersive versus hyper-reading- as both are valuable just in different situations. I think all genres are valuable as well, and just because someone might not think its valuable doesn’t mean it isn’t to someone else. This idea of superior reading or the “right” or “good” way to read is mind-blowing to me, as I had never thought that there is a wrong or write way. The superior complex some people have when it comes to reading, like nonfiction book vs a romance book, Is funny to me. Why would reading one think make you “better” or “right.” I think you can find value in reading both, reading in general is mind stimulation. Overall, this text made me think more about what voluble reading is to me, which is everything.

The Library or The Universe?

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While reading Borges, the first element that stood out to me was his discussion of the universe in relation to libraries, aka that they are the same thing. I had not heard this comparison before if I am being honest, but now that I think about it, it makes sense. The library is a collection of stories, histories, and archives of information: much like the Universe. The discussion of how the library was made into the shape of a hexagon- “the library is a sphere who exact center is any one of its hexagons and whose circumference is inaccessible”- shows the complexity of them both. This made me think about how the universe is inaccessible to us fully and it will never be able to be fully explored. Borges discusses the library and the universe in the same way, a mystery. It seems it’s almost impossible to have a full understanding of either, both being described as theory and symbolic to a bigger picture.

The ‘book’ during this time is described as impenetrable and mysterious, because only certain people could read/translate them. This reminded me of the video we watched in class the other day that showed how foreign the book was versus the scroll, and how people had to be taught how to use it. This is much like technology now for older generations, and even me when new technology is out I have to be taught as well. Borges description is a reminder that the book and the library was not accessible to everyone, and not everyone knew how to understand/read it. This is relevant to current times too, as not everyone has the same access to the same resources, its all a privilege, which is what Borges discussion of the library reminded me of. Not only of our progress of information and understanding, but that these things are a privilege not everyone has the same level of access to.

I found this reading to be very interesting. I had never heard of the library being built or compared to a hexagon. ‘The chief of an upper hexagon’ – as in their were so many different levels and librarians or deciphers that worked in different section?? Much like now but I found it intriguing how hexagons made up different levels of space and understanding. “There was no personal or world
problem whose eloquent solution did not exist in some hexagon. The universe was justified, the universe suddenly usurped the unlimited dimensions of hope.” (pg. 4) The idea that the library held all the answers is interesting as its compared to the universe that is so vast, but it makes sense as we typically like to think that we have all the answers- some things never change too much. Overall this reading was very interesting and I felt like I got valuable information about the history of the library.

(sorry late! computer issues yesterday)

Kiersten Brown

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Hello everyone! I am super excited to be taking this class! Professor Pressman is such a good professor- taking this class was an obvious choice- all her classes I’ve taken have been super intriguing and engaging. Excited to be a part of this new class/experiment with you all. I am from Berkeley California and am going into my Senior year at state. I love it here in SD and also back home as well. I am an English major and also have been getting my certificate in publishing/creative wiring, also just added a minor in journalism and media studies. No idea what I want to do- I have a lot of different ideas- but I have always loved to learn, read, and write. Super excited to learn more about the print and history of books this semester!