Emily, that is a beautifully written article. I think one of my favorite quotes (besides the one you pulled) is "It is not just the stories, but the physical book, the way I feel when I see the spines, when I read the titles, the very feel of the paper under my fingers as I turn the pages." This really describes my love of the physical book so well.
I recently saw a semi-related article/survey in the latest edition of GD USA (a full version can be found online here) that talks about print design. It is a fairly lengthy article/survey, but the consensus is that print isn't dead or dieing, just evolving. Some quotes from the article and people surveyed are:
"Humans like to touch and print
is the ultimate tangible medium. On that basis alone, the
present of print is meaningful and the future promising."
"If print media is going to be around in 50 years, it's going to be
because it works as a complement to digital media. It picks up some of
the areas digital media lacks and vice versa."
"Until we're only Avatars in an electronic medium, people will need to touch, feel, see and engage with print in the world."
"As we are inundated with digital media, printed pieces become more rare
and that simple fact helps them stand out, provided that the piece has
relevance or an interesting story to tell.
As humans, we still like to touch, feel and smell tangible things."
"Print will always have a place in graphic communications.
Web and social media is an ever flowing river and always changing.
When you want to make something that will last, that will make a statement, you work with print.
People relate to the tangible and intangible in different ways.
There is a beauty in print that can not be replicated online."
I think some of these quotes support what Callan was saying about printed books becoming more of an art. While I prefer the feel of a printed book, I tend to only buy them if I really love the design or just can't wait to borrow it from a friend or the library. I'm not one to reread anything, so a poorly designed book or one that I'm unsure about whether I will enjoy the contents, really has no longevity in my home.
My dad is a book collector who has books signed by the authors, and then sells them online. Since he is so much a part of the book scene, I decided to call and get his thoughts on this topic. He believes that with the increased popularity of electronic readers there has definitely been a decrease in the amount of books being printed, but that he hasn't noticed a decrease in the sales of the signed books he sells. He says he often sees people who have read a book in electronic format buy signed copies to keep on their book shelves. To them, a signed copy of a favorite book is valuable to them in a way that the electronic version isn't. That said, he believes that while printed books aren't going away any time soon, he thinks there is a good chance that hardback books will be phased out and we will possibly see more first editions printed as soft covers which would be sold at a higher cost.
I may have to succumb to electronic books one day, but I will go down kicking, screaming, and scouring the aisles of used books stores before that happens.
