Throughout this blogging adventure, I've talked about provenance, printing techniques, alternative forms of books, and the like. It only makes sense to finally talk about the biggest component of the physical book: paper. Today, with technology literally at our fingertips, many people have proposed the idea of going completely digital with our books (ps. follow that link... I swear you'll have no regrets). However, if you're anything like me, this is heartbreaking.
Stepping into a library or a bookstore is one of my absolute favorite things to do. For me, books having a calming effect. From the smell to the beautifully-lined shelves to the feel of the pages beneath my fingers, it's an experience you most certainly cannot achieve via eBooks. However, I must admit that I am a hypocrite in some ways because I do own eBooks, simply for the price and convenience factors, but 'real books' will always have my heart. Luckily, there are some people who seem to appreciate these qualities as much as I do. For example, you can now purchase candles scented like old books.
Side note: The lovely smell of old books can actually be attributed to chemical processes. See.. chemistry is pretty cool after all. ;)
Stepping into a library or a bookstore is one of my absolute favorite things to do. For me, books having a calming effect. From the smell to the beautifully-lined shelves to the feel of the pages beneath my fingers, it's an experience you most certainly cannot achieve via eBooks. However, I must admit that I am a hypocrite in some ways because I do own eBooks, simply for the price and convenience factors, but 'real books' will always have my heart. Luckily, there are some people who seem to appreciate these qualities as much as I do. For example, you can now purchase candles scented like old books.
Side note: The lovely smell of old books can actually be attributed to chemical processes. See.. chemistry is pretty cool after all. ;)
The particular version of The Great Gatsby I have chosen, unfortunately, does not bear any watermarks, special end papers, or really anything significant in terms of paper. However, I still want to talk a little about the process since it is relevant to the topic. I could sit here and type out the history of paper making, but no one wants to read that. After all, the process has made little change since its invention in 105 A.D. I'll briefly summarize the important steps in the process and leave you with an insightful video.
Papyrus is generally considered the first medium on which things were written. This moved into hemp in the Chinese culture, followed by the use of wood pulp aka the paper we use today. For the most part, the process to move from raw material to completed piece (pun somewhat intended).
STEPS IN PAPER MAKING:
1) Gather & clean raw materials (trees)
2) Chipping - removing bark and cutting remainder into uniformly-sized pieces
3) Digesting - chemical/pressure bath to leave only cellulose
4) Beating - cellulose + water --> pulp --> smooth, milky liquid
5) Setting - colorants/ texturizers added
6) Straining - liquid passed through several sets of filters to remove most water
7) Blotting - pair of felt rollers absorb remaining water
8) Drying - heated rollers applied
9) Ironing - smooths paper into finished product
(Info courtesy of Robinson Library . I bet you thought I was a genius for about 9 lines, didn't you?)
The child at 5:40 deserves a high-five.
Papyrus is generally considered the first medium on which things were written. This moved into hemp in the Chinese culture, followed by the use of wood pulp aka the paper we use today. For the most part, the process to move from raw material to completed piece (pun somewhat intended).
STEPS IN PAPER MAKING:
1) Gather & clean raw materials (trees)
2) Chipping - removing bark and cutting remainder into uniformly-sized pieces
3) Digesting - chemical/pressure bath to leave only cellulose
4) Beating - cellulose + water --> pulp --> smooth, milky liquid
5) Setting - colorants/ texturizers added
6) Straining - liquid passed through several sets of filters to remove most water
7) Blotting - pair of felt rollers absorb remaining water
8) Drying - heated rollers applied
9) Ironing - smooths paper into finished product
(Info courtesy of Robinson Library . I bet you thought I was a genius for about 9 lines, didn't you?)
The child at 5:40 deserves a high-five.
Marbled Paper
While these processes can produce basic, plain paper, there are many other ways of creating beautiful works of art within the paper itself. One way is marbling. Hand-marbled paper is a bit of a master craft, as it takes vast amounts of practice to perfect the skill. Perhaps that is why hand-marbled paper is primarily found in older books and some special collections. However, that is not to say that marbled paper does not exist. Chances are, you can still find it in books today, but there is a greater chance that it was produced digitally rather than manually. This makes it no less beautiful, though, just less rare.
I'll leave you with one more video of a professional in the art of marbling paper. As you can tell, the process never allows for any two pieces to be exactly alike. Like Ms. Lewis says, that's 'part of the charm'