A book is a written work that is published and distributed either in print or electronically. Unlike a magazine article or journal, a book is generally considered to be more substantial and comprehensive in its coverage of a subject matter. A book may be fiction or non-fiction. It can contain text, drawings, photographs or puzzles. A book can also serve as a diary, account book, sketchbook or other personal use item.
It can be read in a single sitting or over a longer period of time. It can be used for research, education, entertainment or personal writing. It can be bought, borrowed or donated by others. It can be displayed in a library or public reading room. People react to books in different ways depending on their genre and the type of reaction can be aesthetic, spiritual, emotional or pathological.
The concept of the book has evolved with the advancement of printing technology. The earliest books were written in a scroll form, but the invention of the book allowed authors to add more pages. The book was also more flexible than a scroll and could be opened or closed. The modern book is typically printed on paper and has a cover to protect the contents. It is commonly found in hard and soft covers, though there are exceptions. A book can be bound in a variety of ways, including stitching or glue. It can be laminated to improve durability.
Book production is a complex process. Before a book can be printed it must first go through the preparation stage called make-ready. This consists of mounting a plate to the printing press, cleaning up any mess from previous jobs and getting the machine up to speed. Once this is done, the actual printing can begin. A typical book is printed in a standard size determined by the sheet sizes and web-fed machines.
Once the book is printed it goes through a finishing process. The finished product is trimmed to size, and any loose pages are gathered together with the cover to create a completed book. The final step is binding the book. Books can be produced using three different printing methods: offset lithography, letter-press and gravure.
There are a number of resources available to help those interested in learning more about the history of books. Leslie Howsam’s The Cambridge Companion to the History of the Book is an excellent place to start. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Book is also a good resource. In addition, The New York Times has an interesting article on the changing definition of what a book is. It is interesting to see how popular culture has influenced the word and its meaning, just as world wide word processing and text messaging have changed the way that many of us think about words like “text.” However, the book remains as a resilient transmitter of knowledge and information that can travel long distances. This makes it more useful than posters fixed to walls or inscriptions on immovable monuments.