num_pages: 229
description: We love books. We take them to bed with us. They weigh down our suitcases when we go on holiday. We display them on our bookshelves or store them in our attics. We give them as gifts. We write our names in them. We take them for granted. And all the time our books are leading a double life.The Secret Life of Books is about everything that isnt just the words. Its about how books transform us as individuals. Its about how books  and readers  have evolved over time. And its about why even with the arrival of other media books still have the power to change our lives.In this illuminating account Tom Mole looks at everything from binding innovations to binding errors to books defaced by lovers to those imprisoning professors in their offices to books in art to burned books to the books that create nations to those well leave behind.It will change how you think about books.A real treasure trove for book lovers - Alexander McCall SmithEvery sentence is utterly captivating . . . probably the most compulsive text ever penned about what it means to handle and possess a book - Christopher de Hamel author of Meetings with Remarkable ManuscriptsWonderfully insightful - Alberto Manguel author of A History of ReadingTom Moles enthusiasm for books is infectious. If you also love books . . . youll want to discover The Secret Life of Books - Sam Jordison author of Literary LondonA treat for bibliophiles everywhere - Gavin Francis author of ShapeshiftersA treasure-chest filled with bookish wonders - Adam Roberts BSFA award-winning author of Jack GlassI suspect Ill never look at a book the same way again - Jon Courtenay Grimwood author of Stamping Butterflies
language: English
title: The Secret Life of Books: Why They Mean More Than Words
publisher: Elliott & Thompson Ltd