In the course of reviewing a new book of book art, Jules Siegel asks an interesting question: the pieces represented by the volume are art…but are they really books?
The idea of the book has always been one that is more complex than it seems even if the overwhelmingly popular conception remains the codex that people immediately think of when they hear the word “book.”
Ebooks, whether a misnomer or not, are an intensified interrogation of the idea of book form. I’m convinced that traditional books will neither last as long as optimistic book lovers hope or doomsayers predict. But no matter the time frame involved, books as works of art will continue to flourish and, I hope, continue to push the boundaries of our understanding of this essential idea and the various forms in which that idea can be expressed.
[Work: Birdbrain by Margaret Couch Cogswell, 2009. Photograph: Steve Mann]
