I spent Saturday sorting out an old collection of books.
What struck me is how distinct eras of human existence
are so well defined by their assembly of content and by
graphic design. Typography, paper stock, cover images
or embossing.
E-books will probably takeover as a convenient way of
conveying content in its pure form and I think books will
become even more precious objects than they are today.
Their musty smell and smooth surfaces. The sometimes
archaic form of language. The stories within. A re- edition
of a classic offers a form of time travel which remains linked
to the present - as it is repackaged for a contemporary eye.
What a revelation when one sets hands on a first edition.
It forces you to leave the comfortable context of 'today'
as time and place and enter into one of 'then'. Not always
interesting or easy to interpret at first glance.
Above, a picture of first edition Penguins found at Tivoli Gallery,
Waiheke Island. Paperback the fragrance captures the musty
essence of old books left to moulder in a summer house.
