Pottermore and books

The visuals for the intro video to J. K. Rowling's newest adventure combine some fascinating ideas about books as they transition between tactile and digital forms. The animated books, cut and shaped into moving sculpture show paper texts as malleable through digitization. Who knows how many websites sport Potter fan fiction right now, but J. K. Rowling is taking the her readers' writing under her own wings. As she says, "Just as the experience of reading requires the imaginations of the author and the reader to work together to create the story, so Pottermore will be built in part by you, the reader."

What does this mean for books in the future? Many scholars have explored the expansive possibilities of digital texts, hypelinked footnotes, the kindle's dictionary on demand, comparative texts from different printings and editions made simple through the use of technology, but Pottermore seems to be something entirely new. Something part fan club, part DVD-special features, part video game, and part storylab.

The intro video with its movable books is a perfect introduction to such a phenomenon. Part nostalgia, part magic, part exhibition of technologies in action.

Mysteries in Scotland

This post was going to be a broad survey of some information about altered book art, some links to etsy shops, some artwork by revered artists and some resources for further reading but maybe I'll write that other post later, because my plans have been derailed by a mystery.


The Scottish Poetry Library has recently received an anonymous gift. A paper sculture of a tree, made all out of books. The Guardian is charmed but doesn't know what to think

Grand Central details the story as more sculptures appear, in an outpouring of love for books and for libraries.

These sculptures seem to be coming from one, exuberant lover of books and libraries. Although I love much of the progress towards digitized media, (this blog I'm writing is one I could not share without digitized text), I am sorry for the libraries. And what better way to celebrate the love of libraries than with artwork celebrating the paperness of books now.