from Content, by Rem KoolhaasThe gang at Design Observer have started a Flickr set showcasing the Table of Contents page. The set is meant as a visual archive of TOC and as an accompaniment to their 2007 book The Next Page: Thirty Tables of Contents which was published to coincide with AIGA's Biennial National Design Conference in Denver, the theme of which was "Next.""Often overlooked by serious bibliophiles, the humble TOC is our portal into a world of knowledge. In the realm of the printed word, it heralds what comes next, a verbal proscenium with its own peculiar prose and...
DQ : The Ultimate in Online ‘Books’
from Beneath a steel skyWe have ebooks and book social networks. We have book trailers and internet book tv but the folks at DQ Books (nothing to do with Dairy Queen) have come up with what just might be the perfect marriage of technology and the book form.DQ Books brings together artists, illustrators and photographers and places their visuals within the context of the book form using Flash technology. Each thematic issue is accompanied by a soundscape created by French composer Avril.The first 4 issues are:Invasion - 7 days of graphic improvisition by Festo and Telemolindo Seasons - 16 illustrators,...
Zechariah Reading
Michelangelo. The Prophet Zechariah. Fresco. Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, 1508-1512
The Dark Side of the Bush Presidential Library
In a speech last week President George W. Bush touted the plan for his new Presidential Library at Southern Methodist University calling it "a place where we get the thinkers from around the world to come and write about and articulate the transformative power of freedom, abroad and at home."Bush expects to raise $500 million for the library making it the costliest Presidential Library to date. The half-a-billion dollars is twice the total amount Bush spent on his entire 2004 Presidential campaign! Just think if public libraries had that kind of kind of support while he was in office.Among the...
In Defence of Amazon : Their New POD Strategy as Opportunity.
Much has been written about Amazon's new strategy of offering print on demand titles sold on their website exclusively through their POD company, Book Surge. Cries of monopoly and unfair business practices have permeated the discourse but there are I believe, potential opportunities for publishers and authors within this new paradigm.Just as the arrival of Amazon changed the bookselling landscape forever their new POD strategy is sure to alter the publishing landscape in similar ways and how the publishers respond will ultimately determine their chance of survival. Will we lose as many publishers as we have book stores?I see nothing...