Emma Smith

(Author)

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their ReadersHardcover, 15 November 2022

Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers
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Print Length
352 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Knopf Publishing Group
Date Published
15 Nov 2022
ISBN-10
1524749095
ISBN-13
9781524749095

Description

A history of one of humankind's most resilient and influential technologies over the past millennium--the book. Revelatory and entertaining in equal measure, Portable Magic will charm and challenge literature lovers of all kinds as it illuminates the transformative power and eternal appeal of the written word.

Stephen King once said that books are "a uniquely portable magic." Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object.

From disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift books that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese, Portable Magic explores how, when, and why books became so iconic. It's not just the content within a book that compels; it's the physical material itself, what Smith calls "bookhood" the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience--to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us--and our longstanding love affair with books in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time.

Product Details

Author:
Emma Smith
Book Format:
Hardcover
Country of Origin:
US
Date Published:
15 November 2022
Dimensions:
21.08 x 14.48 x 2.03 cm
ISBN-10:
1524749095
ISBN-13:
9781524749095
Language:
English
Pages:
352
Weight:
498.95 gm

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