Books are our master
The books on top of my bookcase are the ones I still have to read. Some books are ready to be taken on vacation, others are asking to be read before bedtime. ‘Animal stories for every party’ invites me to read a couple of short stories, after this I fall asleep with fantastic inspirations. ‘Made to stick’ asks me to get a chair and to take place at my desk. Its cover, chapters and letters seduce me to grab a pen and paper. Every single book has its own character with unique manners.
Every book demands a different posture of its reader. The image of a student with a book in a train was passing in my thoughts; the drop down table on the chair before him is pulled down and a pen and paper lay on the side. Frequently I see the hand of the student supporting his forehead, the elbow resting on the shelf while the spine is bend. Obviously this is a book that asks for a study position.
When the tablet was making its entry in our homes, it was the form of the object that made me move around it. My hands are too small to hold the tablet in one hand. It asks me to sit down on the couch and clamp it between one hand and my leg and is then ready to control. Not the content but the form forces me to take this position. Compare this with a very thick book that is simply not appropriate to be read in bed. I am very pleased when the biggest mass is resting on the bed and you can read one whole page in peace. Only then comes the next page and all of the mass have to lie on its side. It’s a delight when I may turn to the next page again. ‘The half brother’ forced me to sit upright in bed while reading my book.
The paper and also the screen are asking us to take place and devour the content. The book in both form and content moves our thoughts, but also desires physical adjustments. I am wondering which books you can read while standing upright? Which content requires a standing position?
