Maker Faire 09: Books Are Not Dead
Photos by Jaymi Heimbuch
San Francisco's Center for the Book brought some of the old school printing know how to Maker Faire 09 to remind us all that while e-readers might be the buzz word, books are not dead. And with art like this behind them, they never will be.Center for the Book is a San Francisco-based resource center where people can learn the art of book making through hands-on workshops, events, and exhibits.
The booth at Maker Faire featured tables that taught two kinds of bookmaking skills, and visitors were able to play with handset type and create letterpress printing.
The craft of book making is what will keep printed paper books on shelves well after everyone has switched to e-readers as a primary storehouse for their daily reading. The debate goes on about the quality of experience when reading a paper book or an e-reader, but the bottom line is the book is not dead, and likely will never be. There are simply some more resource-efficient ways to deliver certain texts. So while college text books might be much more eco-friendly when published in electronic format and accessed through e-readers, other types of books, especially those that are an artwork in and of themselves, just can't be fully appreciated if not in paper form. When it comes to books, it's a matter of deciding the greenest way of disseminating them.
If you're a book lover and live in or near San Francisco, be sure to check out the steady stream of workshops so you can learn the art and skill of bookmaking.
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