Why I Love... Pretty Books

I used to work in a used bookstore. It was the perfect job for High School and, I think, ultimately led to my career path in the library. Day after day, I would process books. In my time there, I handled thousands of individual books. While the work could sometimes be monotonous, there were always books that caused me to stop and look at what was in my hands. These were the pretty books. Books that, as objects, are simply beautiful to behold.

I love to read, but I also love books that are objects of art. These books have gorgeously crafted bindings or an exceptionally well-designed dust jackets. These are the books I want to buy so that I can continue to look at them. To me, books are made of two separate parts: the pages for reading and the binding for display. For some books, the outside is so pretty that I don't care what the pages say.

Beautiful books are meant to be displayed. They have gold/embossed/scrolled/etc. bindings that sing when displayed in groups on shelves. They have marbled/gilt/illustrated paper edges that make you want to give the book another glance. Some books even come with accessories - locks, cases, and bookmarks. All of these features make a simple book a magnificent work of art. 

Beautiful books are what comes to mind when most people thing of a library. They're the ones that fill the shelves to give that old England, regency feel. These are the books that collectors seek out for collections for how they look. These are the books that are book-people books.

E-books are awesome, but nothing can compare to a leather-bound, gold-embossed, gilt edged tome. I'll take pretty, dead tree books any day.

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