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2.17.2008

Note on aesthetically displeasing books


People who make - design, etc. - books are aesthetically handicapped. Look at the common dimensions of books to start with. Huge, gawky dimensions (I know, so they will *stand out* on bookshelves! That's the handed-down wisdom of the business, so don't ever question it...) I acquired an edition of an old theological work and the print looked like a computer print-out (Verdana or Arial or something) and the dimensions were like a kid's coloring book. Most all books are too big, even paperbacks. I use to see German books, hardback, paperback, that had handsome small dimensions, the size you wouldn't mind actually carrying around with you. Then look at Bibles. Go to a big Christian bookstore and see the wall of Bibles and see if you can find even ONE that is both aesthetically passable and also readable. Why do most all Bibles have miniscule print AND print that are shades of light gray? It's like they are saying we want your money, but we don't want you actually reading this thing. Then if you get a Cambridge with good text you still have to be satisfied with ink black or burgundy leather when most people kind of think a more tan looking, or natural leather looks best. Even when they DO offer a more natural looking leather it is usually a blood-brown type shade. I.e. the most aesthetically unattractive shade of tan. Thanks, publishers! And don't they know that if they published classic works like Calvin's Institutes in a small paperback format, like what you see with Signet or Oxford World's Classics (they can get War and Peace in that format!) they would sell zillions (relatively speaking for that work)? Anyway, even if some publisher did do something like that they'd find a way to make it aesthetically unattractive anyway. It's the same phenomena you see in internet software. Somebody develops free webpages, then they hire a mathematician to design the templates you have to choose from, so you get 17 very similar templates with various color combinations of brown and blue. Now, somebody could say, well design your own page! OK, that can be done; but I can't publish my own library of books...

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