In William H. Gass’ article entitled, In Defense of the Book- Why Books Are So Good, he examines the characteristics that a book has that a screen can not replicate. The materiality of the book itself is an import characteristic that can not be reproduced on the screen. The book becomes worn over time and gains charter from its many hours of use. A person can not tear a page in a book made for a screen nor can he mark it up with his own notes. The text along with the physical object of the book itself holds a certain place in your heart/memory but on the screen you only have the written text. A person could build his own library with books. Without physical books there will be no libraries. A library is a place where one can go to satisfy their curiosity of whatever they can think of. It provides an environment where you can come to learn more about the world through factual books or escape from it with fictional writings. The look and feel of a book can attract a person that might not have otherwise been interested in it right away, to pick it up and read it.
About two years ago I went to a small bookstore in Wicker Park called Quimbys with my friend so she could get some books for her classes. Evolution of a Crazy Artist by Sophie Crumb was the first book at caught my eye. The giant lettering and bold graphics on the cover interested me enough to pick it up and look through it. This book is a collection of every drawing that this artist have made sense she was born. I ended up leaving the store empty handed because I did not have enough money to buy it. A couple of months later my friend surprised me with it as a present for my birthday. Now from time to time when I feel uninspired I will go through this book to give me motivation because I feel like my artwork relates the Sophie Crumb’s.
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