The evolution of the book - Julie Dreyfuss

What makes a book a book? Is it just anything that stores and communicates information? Or does it have to do with paper, binding, font, ink, its weight in your hands, the smell of the pages? To answer these questions, Julie Dreyfuss goes back to the start of the book as we know it to show how these elements came together to make something more than the sum of their parts.

Lesson by Julie Dreyfuss, animation by Patrick Smith.

[jordandavies]

I'm all for e-books for the practicality, but I will always be in love with the physical book. Nothing beats having a fully stocked bookshelf in your home where you can look over all your fictional adventures and run a finger over their spines.

[Vessev]

I really enjoy the articulate narration and the lucid graphics in this presentation.

[MinecraftCutiepie]

There's nothing like holding the physical copy of a book. I can never get as immersed in the story if I'm just scrolling down a screen.

[patrickwjrwhateverclips]

When you hear the word "book" what do you imagine?You would usually imagine a cover, the spine, the many pages, and even pictures.You don't imagine an ebook or a kindle.Sure it has words and pictures but it doesn't feel like a book.It doesn't smell like a book.You can't hear the pages turning.In my opinion I don't think all these electronic books are actually books.

[iballisticsteve]

For me, any book matters, as long as one can read it. But one cannot argue that having it personally, keeping it in your bookshelf, smelling it's pages and showing it to everyone feels so much better..

[GiullianaMartinez]

What we read (the letters) are important, no matter the presentation. But how could you prefer an electronic book instead of an actual book? the smell, the pages, the fact that you don't have to charge it... amazing.

And once you finish it, you get to put it in a bookshelf, like a trophy, something to be proud of.

[thefaceofawsomeness]

This would have been more interesting if it had started at clay tablets, went through scrolls and codex's, and ended with e-books. It was still interesting, just didn't seem like it was the evolution of the book.

[zzucdmk]

I've always loved being surrounded by books, because I love the feeling of knowing that each one has it's own charm, the heart and soul of each author. I guess computers are technically the same, but it's a different feeling. When holding the book, you come face-to-face with the words right in your hands. But when owning it on a computer, the words themselves feel "out there" in the interent, and can be filed far away with just a few taps. Though it seems like paper books will eventually go extinct, I don't think they will. I think the majority of readers will always prefer the feeling of a real book over a computer.

[aristoclesathenaioi]

This talk contains at least one error. The Chinese invented paper for use in packaging. They wrapped packages in paper, but for writing they used silk. Only later did paper replace silk as the medium for writing.

[musxidntty]

Please please please include some subtitles or let someone from the community contribute some closed captions. I love your videos but sometimes i have a hard time hearing them 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

[UnknownGunslinger]

I love reading and 80% of my reading I do on my kindle.
For the past 4 years I've had three of the kindle models and I loved reading on each.
The physical size of e-readers and all your books on demand in a single device with a built-in light simply makes it the most comfortable way to read for me.
When I read physical books and get engrossed in the story the size and weight don't really matter. It's after all how I've been reading the past 20 years. But e-readers are just more comfortable for longer sessions and for travel.

[meiyeechin]

I believe nothing beats a physical book. The touch, the flipping feel, the sound, the smell!~~~

[FrequencyPanel]

a book has a template, an order, a development, and a length different from a blog, an article, or a letter/email. That content could and would be produced for the standard tangible book experience. It's the content that dictates it's format and production, not the other way around.

[Umirua]

A "book" is a bundle of parchments featuring information and is attached to a spine.
A story is the information often laid in the book.
To answer the question. No, e-books and tablets are not books, just information. Audio books are the same. Not really a book just featuring the contents of what was placed in one

[uhqqofo]

Thank you all and especially directed me to learn the language rules and will do my best for this I am grateful to all of you

[Bitsmap]

I prefer ebooks since they are cheap and more easy to carry. My 1319 pages lords of the ring was R$37 against R$156 of the physical edition, not to tell the weight of it.

[maureenoconnell]

Beautiful video. Very nicely created and explained.

[Dayman]

I have become completely obsessed with the binding process of books. I particularly love one company called Easton Press for the quality of book they produce. This isnt an ad for that company, but if you ever come across one you will realize right away that they are of higher quality than most books.
'

[FootprintsForTwoTravel]

My dissertation is all about how and why people consume fiction literature. I'm in the middle of my studies right now!

[Rebecca-qjuk]

To me, there's something magical about a book. Like a screen capture.
In a screen, you can't feel the pages. You can Change font and brightness. The cover is just a cold metal board resting on your hands.
But in a book, the cover is felt, and you feel the presence of the characters in a book. The soft cover give the older homy feeling of a simpler time. You know what it was like when the world wasn't as wack. When you'd read a book in a farm on a hot day.
To me, a screen will never be worth a book.