The Beauty of the Printed Book

My mentor, Tarek Atrissi, just mailed me this article, by Alice Rawsthorn for New York Times.

The article tells that in May there will be an exhibition about books: “The Printed Book: A Visual History,” an exhibition running through May 13 at the Special Collections department of the University of Amsterdam (I'm definitively going to visit the exhibition). The article then goes further into the development of books, about e-books, and how it is not for every bookpublisher the right thing to publish e-books as well. Not every publisher is interested in publishing e-books. A nice quote from the owners of Steidl, the art publishing house: “Doubtless there are some wonderful e-books out there but it is something of a misnomer to call them Books,” it declared. “Our philosophy is straightforward and unique — we will remain 100% analogue.”

I think this is a very interesting statement. They don't want to publish e-books out of principle (according to this article), because to Steidl e-books aren't really books. It is not explained why they don't find e-books to be books. But I do agree with them, out of my own opinion about e-books. Which is that most e-books are disappointing because they are approached as as an analogue book. The e-books that are nicely done are clearly approached differently (out of interaction design or animators perspective) and therefore these books are actually using the advantages of interaction in books and made fun to 'read'/experience. So appearantly, e-books are not like analogue books at all.

I'd like to check this book: “Kapow!”