“Hack the Cover” and “The Photo Book Will Rise Again” presented different angles of the problems facing print books in today’s society. Craig Mod argues that the digital age is creating a disinterest and dwindling need for the physical book. Technology has rewritten the print book, making it easily accessible on computers, kindles or ipads. Suddenly, the reader can transport several books at once on one device. But, this change has drastically shifted the significance that the cover of a book used to play. The cover, once an ornate skin, has become a side note, an easily-ignored thumbnail in the corner of a screen. “In iBooks and the iPad Kindle app, covers are reduced to thumbnails barely 200 pixels high. Most typography is rendered nearly illegible. And as certain books become applications, their covers become icons.” But, Craig Mod offers up an interesting solution to resurrect the dying art of the print book. He places emphasis on the interior of the book. “Unlike the cover, there isn't much glory in interiors. But in that neglect lies the fun: it's in the interior you get to play mind games with your readers. Shift the tone. Affect meaning. Give life and form to the text.” While the digital book is easily accessible, Alan Rapp explains that the photo book is limited to, “small audience with a particular kind of visual literacy, sensibility, and disposable income level.” While high retail prices, potential purchasers are further excluded. I found “The Photo Book Will Rise Again” to present information on the photo book that I had never considered. Photo books are truly catered to a select group of consumers, whether the artist wanted this or not. Photo books, just as modern theater, or an average print book is, sadly, becoming a dying art. Even in my classes, online books are cheaper, easier to navigate, and, of course, easier to transport. And as technology continues to become more accessible to larger groups of people, the print book will no longer be needed and will become more of a luxury.
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