Books Are Tools, Not Art Pieces

Arguing Against Aesthetics

Everyone has their thing. That pet peeve that simply bothers them, no matter how they try to ignore it. In my time in the online book community, one thing has consistently popped up again and again to nag at me. That is the trend of the bookish community to focus on the aesthetics of a book over its contents. Look, I get it. A beautiful book is a thing to behold. I enjoy a spectacular piece of cover art or a leather bound special edition as much as the next person. But between the flat lays and the artfully displayed end tables and the color coordinated shelves, I think that something is being lost in the shuffle. At some point, the conversation around books seems to have been dominated by what books look like, and not when they can do for you.

I have always seen books as tools, not art pieces. Fundamentally, a book is a medium for passing along stories, wisdom and information from person to person. They are meant to be handled and passed back and forth and shared, wringed out for every bit of value one can squeeze from them. If this means writing notes in the margins or underling passages that resonate with you, or dog-earing so you can easily find them again, that’s okay. I think it bears emphasizing that a secondhand novel you picked up at a lending library or a thrift store is just as valid as the perfectly preserved one. A coffee stain or a crumpled page or a torn cover doesn’t invalidate the words or their impact on you.

Someone reading this might say, why do you care so much? Does it really matter if creators on Bookstagaram and Booktube and BookTok like to flaunt their fancy covers and show off their special editions? Maybe not. But I think this focus can create an environment that is a little daunting for those new to the online book space, for authors, creators and readers alike. It can make one feel like reading and collecting nice looking books are one in the same. They are not. They are two distinctly separate hobbies that are both valid and have their place, and we should always remember to treat them as such.

If I have a point in all of this rambling, it is to say this; if you’re reading, you are a reader no matter what the medium. If you’re borrowing your books from friends or the library because you don’t have the budget to buy brand new books, you’re a reader. If you’re mostly reading on an E-Reader or through audiobooks because of convenience or lack of space for physical books, you’re a reader. If you are buying your books from the supermarket or yard sales or the thrift store, you’re a reader. Not having a massive library of beautiful books doesn’t invalidate anything. If you’re reading, you belong in the bookish community, and I for one am glad to have you here.