While
attending an art and jewelry show on a beautiful spring day outdoors, I came
across a booth selling pocketbooks that were converted from books. They’d shell the interior of the book and
just use the hardcover casing to form the majority of the bag. I am not sure if I loathe or adore the idea.
One
is at first drawn to this creative repurposing of old books but then it hits
you that a book should get reused by sharing it with others. To recycle a book doesn’t mean to pulp its
paper for new books. It means to get it
in the hands of those who would use and value it.
But
this business is smart. In the process
of separating a book’s content from its cover, it managed to do two
things. First, it rebound the pages in a
hard cover, thus preserving the book if one wants to read it. Second, by creating a bag out of the book
cover it serves as a wonderful way to advertise a book and promote the love of
books.
We
do many things with our books. Some we
sell to used bookstores, giving them a second chance at life. Others we donate, hoping they land with a
curious reader. Some we store in boxes,
trunks, and in drawers, never to be seen again until many years later. Those that are stored in bookcases may gather
dust or get referred to from time to time.
But
some get destroyed – accidentally by water damage, fire, sun, age, or dogs. Some books are stolen or lost. A handful are traded or shared with
others. And some just get used for art
(people mount a book cover in a frame)
or are chopped up like this crafts owner did to make bags out of them.
I’m
fine with underlining pages in a book or even tearing out pages. If that’s what will help the reader to enjoy
and make use of a book then that’s great.
We need to like our books - not
just buy and collect them and house them like an antique or a collector’s
item. Books, first and foremost, should
be useful, living things that breathe fresh thoughts and ideas into the
slumbering minds of society.
The
one things I can’t understand or justify is when someone throws a book
away. There’s no reason to destroy a
chance at another getting enjoyment or obtaining knowledge from the reading of
a book. I also don’t understand book
burnings. Censors be damned. All books deserve the protection of free
speech. We can’t destroy ideas or deny
experiences or dismiss viewpoints by burning a book. You can speak out against a book, an idea, a
viewpoint – but never destroy one’s right to read and learn.
Books,
to be clear, are not to be seen as any other product, like a bicycle, chair or
espresso machine. They can have a long
shelf life – literally – if we preserve them and coddle them. We should be gentle with our books, making
sure they land a home where they’ll be read, quoted, displayed, and shared with
others, over and over. They are precious
gifts to us. Don’t let them get
destroyed, mistreated, or forgotten. You
carry the legacy of any book that you come into contact with. You live the words that you read – in your
deeds and in your own words.
Will you let a book end up as a pocketbook or will you preserve that book in your pocket?
Will you let a book end up as a pocketbook or will you preserve that book in your pocket?
“The book is a resilient and
adaptable medium of communication.
--James
A. Billington, The Librarian of Congress
“I cannot live without books.”
--Thomas
Jefferson
“Book are the treasured wealth of
the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”
--Henry
David Thoreau
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions,
and interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not
that of his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2018. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.”
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