Why Books Are Becoming Luxury Objects
As e-books are stripping down to the bare-bones of what is actually book-like, physical books themselves are growing more sumptuous and fetishistic. Though anecdotally, book covers seem to be steadily improving in aesthetic quality, not every major release, certainly, can possibly be as astoundingly detailed as J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst’s “S.,†a book full of inserted cards bringing one an immersive multimedia experience, or Chris Ware’s “Building Stories,†a box containing 14 discrete volumes that can be read in any order. But those examples from the last two years indicate a way forward for the printed book — as a luxury object. Because the margins (financial margins, that is) for e-books are so much wider than for printed books — they are far, far cheaper to produce than physical books and summarily cost less — there’s no compelling reason for anyone with an iDevice or e-reader to spend more money for a paper copy of a book other than aesthetic pleasure.
