Nothing Like Turning A Page
T-POST® #99
Around 2006-7 the e-book craze had begun, and hardware was being introduced... Basically, one device, that can hold 1000’s of books. By 2010 the iPad came to town, and was dubbed the ‘print killer’ by many. With e-books sales outnumbering hardcover and paperback sales shortly after, and physical magazine/newspaper subscriptions continuing to dip, there was no predicting the fate of printed matter.
Now, years later, I feel we’re in the midst of a resurgence. The more and more I talk to people, and the more requests I get to design specialty books for brands and artists (another of my jobs), the more I see people longing for that look and feel of a good book in their hands. People miss that shit. Don’t get me wrong, I love using my iPad like the next person... I think it’s one of the greatest invention ever made, but in no way do I feel, even in the slightest, that it could ever replace a real book.
Digital, to me, just feels disposable. I love jumping on a device to read something quick... A blurb here or there, or some sort of news update, but I don’t want to snuggle up with it on a Sunday morning with my coffee. I can’t lie, I have seen some pretty cool digital versions of books out there. I love the interactiveness that comes with some, especially children’s digital books. And I’ve even seen some that monitor the rate at which you read (by how fast you swipe to the next page) and incorporate sound effects or background music to go along with where you are in the book at that particular time.
T-post was born a decade ago. Little did we know the digital age was upon us and reading would never be the same.
I find that impressive. But if there isn’t some spectacular additive to the book that can only happen in its digital form, I can’t justify paying for it. If I’m paying for a book, I want a book. I want to decide if I feel like keeping the dust jacket on or not. I want to pick which bookmark I’m going to use for the duration of my read. And sometimes, I just want the satisfaction of feeling the amount of pages I went through in my left hand compared to what I still have to go through in my right. Regardless, even if it’s a bit more
money to have it in its physical form, I consider it money well spent. Books are pieces of art. The way we display a sculpture, we also display our favorite books... Alone on a table or up on a shelf. Oh, and did we all forget how beautiful books look in numbers? There’s a reason the library rooms in big houses are always the most beautiful [even if most of the books lining the walls haven’t even been touched or read].
Speaking of books in numbers, this e-book shit has also hurt the one refuge I had as a child, that kept me entertained and out of trouble... Our local library. Any parent knows that libraries are important. They help to develop a love of books and reading, and it’s a safe place for our kids to be. If you’re trying to raise a reader, you need your library. As quoted from some online chat room for librarians, “It’s too expensive and somewhat wasteful to buy the hundreds of books a young reader goes through in those first years of learning to read.
I believe libraries should take a more active role in teaching patrons, both children and adults, how to interact with digital materials, whether that is computers, e-books, automatic book checkouts, or other devices... Libraries should step up to the plate and assume responsibility for the digital education of the community.” And as I have said earlier as well, I’m a big fan of all my Apple products, I just think there needs to be a good mix of both in our lives. The digital without the physical is a big mistake.
But I’m just as much to blame. I don’t take my kids to the library like my mom used to. My local library sucks, as I’m sure most local libraries do this day and age. When I was younger, going to the library was like a treat. On a cold winter day, I used to love to hide out in there. I’d hang out in the beautiful, clean children’s section trying to figure out which books I would pick to take home. And when I got bored, I’d venture into the adult sections to pretend I was looking shit up in the card catalogs, or I’d try find that one Playboy magazine I new they sometimes had on the magazine rack by the couches. And at an age before I was able to drive, I didn’t have a license or ID of any kind to put in my velcro wallet, but you can bet your ass I had my library card. I remember feeling like a man when they first asked me to sign it on the back. That card, and 5 bucks in my wallet... I was ready for the world.
Reading printed books helps model reading habits for your kids. When I’m on my iPad, my kids automatically think I’m playing Candy Crush or Angry Birds or some shit like that, not reading the New York Times. So they grab their iPads to play as well. But just the other day, I had a new [Anne Rice] book in my hands and one of my daughters quietly grabbed one of hers and sat down next to me. Shit is contagious. Trust me. There’s nothing like turning a page.
Words: Tony Arcabascio
Design: Peter Lundgren
Model: Broder John
[1,89 cm tall, wearing mens 2XL]
