Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A bookworm's delight, April 8, 2004
Gorgeously illustrated with pictures from library collections all over the world, "The Smithsonian Book of Books" is a bibliophile's paradise. As Michael Olmert shows us, books became one of the world's most powerful means of disseminating information and entertainment. Can anybody imagine life without books?We learn how books developed from the papyrus and parchment rolls of the Egyptians and Greeks to the Roman codex, which transformed the book into the shape we know today, and how "people of the Book" -- Christians, Jews and Muslims, produced glorious volumes meant to teach the word of God. But these masterpieces were made by hand, every word and every stitch; they weren't for the the great unwashed masses. The Middle Ages, with their gloriously illuminated religious tomes sandwiched between jeweled covers that were worth a prince's ransom, turned out books that were museum pieces; some more famous examples of illumination were the "Tres Riches Heures of Jean Duc of Berry", and the Irish "Book of Kells". The spread of handwritten books for keeping accounts made possible the development and spread of commerce during the Renaissance. But the Gutenberg revolution, the development of movable type, brought books down from the rarefied atmosphere of prized possessions for the rich alone, and made books and the dissemination of knowledge and information available to everyone. Olmert relates in detail how books were made, the development of different typefaces, and writes two fascinating chapters on the crafts of bookmaking and bookbinding. There are also chapters on the role of illustration in books by etching and engraving as well as drawing and painting, and how illustrations in texts were used to teach as well as embellish. There's a nice chapter on children's books and how picture books progressed from the woodcuts of the 17th century to "Where the Wild Things Are" in our own time. And a whole chapter is devoted to what Olmert considers the most important book ever written, and no, it's not the Bible -- it's the dictionary. Olmert ends with the observation of the timeless of books. There is no "sell-by" date on any book, he tell us, because every book can tell future generations something about us. In a way, we are the sum of what we read. Books are so much a part of life now that they are available to everyone everywhere, from rare book sellers to the online supermarket to the corner newspaper store, and at every price from zillions of dollars for museum masterpieces to a few dollars for throwaway paperbacks. Only one kind of book is missing from this excellent volume and that is the development of the e-book. Olmert may not have seen it coming, as his book was published in 1992, but it's hard to see how scrolling through e-books will ever replace the fun of turning pages. How, on a rainy day, does one curl up with an e-book?
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28 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Just How Special Books Were, September 20, 2000
The contemporary books we buy today fill many categories, and while they may be special for a variety of reasons, their mass production that condemns them to a comparatively brief life, also is the cause of how visually dismal they are.There are some small private presses that still produce books as artisans, some even completely by hand, but the product is often well beyond the budgets of all but affluent collectors. Reading a work by Dickens is undeniably a thrill, but even Dickens believed his books were enhanced with imagery, so artists were part of his books, fellow craftsmen he chose to compliment his tales. This book by Michael Olmert is for people who love books for not just what they contain, but the manner in which they were presented. Mr. Olmert also provides a very readable history of books from long before Guttenberg printed his Bible, from a time when a book was done by hand, every letter, every stitch. This book presents some of the greatest rarities that have been preserved, so while you may covet a Book Of Hours, A Book Of Kells, or an illuminated page that rivals the art placed on canvas, your savings are safe. This is "The Smithsonian Book Of Books" so nobody can take any of these treasures home. Mr. Olmert states, "The book is perhaps humankind's most powerful intellectual creation". A rather daring claim, but this book backs it well.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
For Those Who Love Books Inside and Out..., January 21, 2007
This book is indispensible for any book lover who not only enjoys the contents of books but also gets a charge from simply being in the company of books.
Though, at times, the author's opinion shines through and the topic matter can be somewhat dry (the history of fonts - yawn), it is generally an excellent, interesting and informative discussion of the life of the book.
The reader is led on a journey that begins in a time documented on material plucked from mother earth and ends with a discussion of the modern book business. Along the way the reader is treated to hundreds of tidbits about the materials, fonts, type, inks, presses, people, processes and works that were instrumental in the evolution of the book into it's modern form.
In addition, the real payoff is the inclusion of hundreds of beautiful and informative pictures and illustrations supporting the topic matter. The reader is richly rewarded with pictures of important books and people as well as many representations of covers, pages and detail from important books past and present.
Will the average book reader be interested in reading this book? Doubtful. Most will likely just thumb through the pages and look at the grapics. Will the average book LOVER be interested in reading this book? Absolutely - It's an excellent resource for anyone who loves books as much for what's inside as for what is outside.
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