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Smith, Emma (Emma Josephine)
Subjects
Books -- History.
Books and reading -- History.
Book industries and trade -- History.
Books -- Anecdotes.
Books and reading -- Anecdotes.
Browse Catalog
by author:
Smith, Emma (Emma Josephine)
by title:
Portable magic : a h...
by call number:
002.09 S646p
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Smith, Emma (Emma Josephine)
Books -- History.
Books and reading -- History.
Book industries and trade -- History.
Books -- Anecdotes.
Books and reading -- Anecdotes.
MARC Display
Portable
magic
: a
history
of
books
and
their
readers
/ Emma Smith.
by
Smith, Emma (Emma Josephine)
Alfred A. Knopf, 2022.
Call #:
002.09 S646p
Subjects
Books
--
History
.
Books
and reading --
History
.
Book industries and trade --
History
.
Books
-- Anecdotes.
Books
and reading -- Anecdotes.
ISBN:
9781524749095 (hc)
9780593081839 (trade pbk)
Edition:
1st American ed.
Description:
337 p. ; 22 cm.
Notes:
Originally published in by Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Random House UK., in London in 2022.
Bibliography:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:
"A
history
of one of humankind’s most resilient and influential technologies over the past millennium -- the book. Revelatory and entertaining in equal measure,
Portable
Magic
will charm and challenge literature lovers of all kinds as it illuminates the transformative power and eternal appeal of the written word. Stephen King once said that
books
are “a uniquely
portable
magic
.” Here, Emma Smith takes
readers
on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object. From disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift
books
that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese,
Portable
Magic
explores how, when, and why
books
became so iconic. It’s not just the content within a book that compels; it’s the physical material itself, what Smith calls “bookhood”: the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience -- to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us -- and our longstanding love affair with
books
in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time."--Publisher.
Holds:
1
Copy/Holding information
Location
Collection
Call No.
Item type
Status
Due Date
Captain William Spry Public Library
Adult Nonfiction
002.09 S646p
Adult books
Checked in
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Central Library
Adult Nonfiction
002.09 S646p
Core Collection - Adult
Checked out
Jul 15, 2024
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