Virginia Festival of the Book!
Yesterday I was a speaker for the Virginia Festival of the Book!
The talk I gave touches on themes that Book Glory readers are very familiar with:
Why Book Design Matters: A Hands-On Exploration of Books as Art
“We are told not to judge books by their covers, as if they are simply vehicles for text. But books are not just read — they are experienced. In this talk you’ll join book collector Alan Levinovitz on a tour of remarkable book designs that changed the history of literature, and transformed how we read. Learn about the giant three-volume reprint of Moby Dick that turned it from a neglected masterpiece into an American classic. Handle accordion-style books that unfold into panoramic works of art. Marvel at impossibly elaborate gilt bindings from the turn-of-the-century. By the end, you’ll see all books in a new light, enchanted by their form as well as their content.”
It was standing room only as a packed (and wonderful) crowd at Daedalus Books in Charlottesville showed me that people really do still love books.
The giant fold out I’m holding in this photo — as well as all of the material on the top shelf behind me that isn’t Moby Dick or The Great Gatsby — comes from Chris Ware’s extraordinary boxed production Building Stories:
I featured Building Stories in my holiday gift guide, which, of course, remains useful even when it is not a holiday.
Other highlights from the talk were Beck’s album Song Reader, which he released as sheet music (also featured in the gift guide):
And these two books, which WILL be featured in future Book Glory posts, so I’m not giving anything away right now!
Aaaaaand I brought in a few of these gilt bindings, which will ALSO be featured in future Book Glory posts. (If you’re a new subscriber from the Virginia Festival of the Book, don’t worry, the Book Glory posts will cover lots of fascinating material I didn’t talk about.)
The talk was a blast, and, dear reader of Book Glory, it confirmed that you and I are not alone. There are legions of book lovers, and I am more convinced than ever their numbers will continue growing, despite the doomsaying about reading and the ever-homogenizing forces of technology.
So thank you for supporting Book Glory! Your subscriptions (free and paid) inspire me to keep sharing my enthusiasm for books, and I’m so grateful to be able to do so.