Presented at FITC Toronto 2014 on April 27-29, 2014 More info at www.FITC.ca Our Once and Now Relationship with the Book with Pamela Hilborn The physical book is one of the most beloved formats in human culture. Join Pamela – a book-lover and a designer – and travel through history to understand how this format has evolved over time. Pamela will dig deep into the anthropology of the book, exploring our relationship to this once-sacred and rare object. She will also take a look at how new technology is helping to enhance the experience of reading as we move from analog to digital reading experiences.

1. Our once and now
relationship with
w the book w

2. pamela@madebyjune.com

4. boc w bocian w boek w buch w beech

5. The etymology
references function
and physical material.

6. The Dead Sea Scrolls: National Geographic, Photograph by Baz Ratner, Reuters
Mesopotamian Tablet, circa 4000 BC at the British Museum.
Source: news.au.com, Photo/Sang Tan, AP
The Dead Sea Scrolls: National Geographic, Photo/Baz Ratner, Reuters
Clay tablet with cuneiform letter and envelope, circa 1900 BC at the British
Museum. Source: British Museum, britishmuseum.org

7. Codex: trunk of tree, block of wood

8. “A codex is composed of many books
(librorum); a book is of one scroll
(voluminis). It is called codex by way of
metaphor from the trunks (caudex) of trees
or vines, as if it were a wooden stock,
because it contains in itself a multitude of
books, as it were of branches…”
- Isidore of Seville,
Etymologiae (VI.13)

9. w Margins
w Footnotes
w Illustration
w Tables of contents
w Bookmarks
w Index
w Thumb tabs
w Edge color
w Spine printing

10. advent of the codex moveable type
scrolling desktop
screens, ereaders,
tablets
tablets, scrolls
3,000 BC 100 – 300 1370s - 1440 1990s
w 2D, linear
w Fragile
w Manual Production
w Low portability
w Limited re-use
w Inefficient use of
materials
w Difficult to store
w Scrolls: two handed
usage
w 3D, non-linear
w Durable
w Manual Production
w Highly Portable
w Easily shared
w Efficient use of
materials
w Easily stored: side-
by-side, shelf
w Single handed use
w Mass Production
w 2D, non-linear
w Format Wars
w Mass Production
w Highly Portable
w Easily shared
w Efficient use of
materials
w Mass storage
w Single handed use

11. books as bodies:
head, tail and spine

12. to crack the spine of a book...

13. to crack the spine of a book, to crave, to devour…
to judge a
book by its
cover…

14. bookshelves as a reflection of ourselves

15. books as nourishment: to crave, to devour...

16. books as art: writers, illustrators, typographers, designers

17. to crack the spine of a book, to crave, to devour…

18. books as memory:
building patina, a
living history

21. books as ideas: book
burnings are symbolic
acts of destruction, the
annihilation of culture,
the silencing of voices

22. the advent of digital

23. Kindle: “The instruction we find in books
is like fire. We fetch it from our
neighbours, kindle it at home,
communicate it to others and it
becomes the property of all.”
- Voltaire
Nook: Comfortable place to read, some
conjecture as to “new book”;
rhymes with Book
Kobo: Anagram of Book; the rearrangement
of the book as we know it, a
fundamental shift, yet a nod to the
historical

24. The etymology
references function
and evolution.

25. from precious objects to
disposable consumables
penny dreadfuls - 19th century
dime novels - 19th century
pulp fiction - 20th century
viral content - 21st century

26. What do we lose?
Tactility
Sound & Smell
Visual Appeal
Haptic Perception
Patina
The Codex

27. to crack the spine of a book, to crave, to devour…
is our focus fading?

28. to crack the spine of a book, to crave, to devour…
the tyranny of
replication

29. What do we gain?
Enriched Experiences
New forms of Art
New Ways of Storytelling
Big Data
More efficient learning
Access + Storage

30. Thank You