07-15-2012, 08:02 AM | #1 | ||||
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From The Economist: Deckle edge pbooks and changing times
It seems that faking older publishing tech (the animated page turns in iBooks and other apps, for one) isn't all that new. Instead, it is following a centuries-old tradition.
Spurred by a disclaimer in the Amazon online bookstore, Quote:
...the Economist has an amusing explanation of the history of one faked-quality industry practice: the so called Deckle edge. http://www.economist.com/blogs/babba.../printed-books Quote:
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Ragged edges to imply "handcrafted" have apparently lost their appeal in the high tech age of "seamless coolness". This has me wondering if publishers have been secretly spraying some chemicals on pbooks to make their smell appeal to the smell fetishists, maybe some bookworm pheromone. I have dozens of books with that kind of edge. And I thought it was a sign that the publisher was too cheap to pay for clean-edged paper. Live and learn; I'll have to remember to be impressed next time by the attention to (fake) detail. Clearly different value systems at play. Now I'm wondering what other product "enhancements" I'm too unsophisticated to appreciate. |
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07-15-2012, 08:38 AM | #2 |
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Whereas I, seeing this form of cut on books, jump to the conclusion that the book is cheaply made. I never once considered they did that on purpose. I'm one of those people that would have complained. Hearing the explanation wouldn't make me feel better about it. I'd probably return the book.
Last edited by Rob Lister; 07-15-2012 at 08:44 AM. |
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07-15-2012, 09:35 AM | #3 |
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That's interesting. I've got a couple of hardbacks that are cut like that, but never knew that it was an intentional "effect"!
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07-15-2012, 10:30 AM | #4 | |
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Quote:
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07-15-2012, 10:44 AM | #5 |
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In my case, they're both poetry books. Perhaps the publisher felt that it added to the "art".
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07-15-2012, 10:49 AM | #6 | |
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Quote:
But for more modern stuff...? Dunno... Heh, I thought I might be the only one this was "news" to. (Maybe the thread belongs in discussions?) |
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07-15-2012, 10:52 AM | #7 |
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They're actually hardback versions of Robert Fagles' translations of Homer's "Iliad" and "Odyssey".
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07-15-2012, 11:03 AM | #8 |
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07-15-2012, 11:13 AM | #9 |
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I'm sure it sounds strange, but, seeing it for real, I actually rather like it. It gives the book a bit of "character".
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07-15-2012, 12:12 PM | #10 | |
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In college, I subscribed to some book of the month services. Many of the books, especially from Doubleday, had pages with uneven edges. That led me to associate Doubleday with low quality. This whole "you have to be sophisticated to appreciate our fake signs of quality" thing smacks of "The Emperor's New Clothes" to me. |
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07-15-2012, 02:11 PM | #11 |
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Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet used deckle edges on the paper, to mimic the look of wedding invitations. I rather like the effect - I think it's pretty.
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07-15-2012, 02:18 PM | #12 |
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I agree. I think it's a case of "don't knock it if you haven't seen it"; it's a rather attractive effect, to my mind.
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07-15-2012, 03:40 PM | #13 |
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07-15-2012, 03:44 PM | #14 |
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I'm the opposite. I can appreciate the character and style they are adding to the book, but to me, it is uncomfortable. But yes, I think it is kind of pretty.
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07-15-2012, 03:57 PM | #15 |
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I went through several books and found two Deckle Edge:
1. The End of Eternity, Isaac Asimov, first edition 1955, Doubleday 2. The Guns of the South, Harry Turtledove, first edition 1992, Ballantine However, I have many non-fiction and other fiction published throughout the 20th century that do not use the Deckle Edge. I think they look cool, but are a hassle to use if just want to thumb through them (which you probably wouldn't do if you were just reading them). And I agree, wedding invitations do look real good with Deckle Edge. |
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