The printed page is not dead. Sure, many of its mainstream forms need a lie-down, and probably should be thinking about taking early retirement, but as text and images are being increasingly viewed in the same way — pristinely flat with glassy surfaces and shrunk to fit the size of the smartphone — there is still healthy enthusiasm for analog handmade "zines," artists' monographs, catalog raisonne, photography and picture books.
In other words, publications that have their own character as objects seem to be more indulgent, visual and tactile pleasures than ever before.
The upcoming Tokyo Art Book Fair (TABF, Sept. 16-19) is a great event if you don't know your leporello from your four-hole pouch binding, and want to find out more about the wildly different ways pages can be assembled. If you do know the difference between a book that opens like an accordion and one that is stitched together (a design that dates back to the 14th century), then the event is no doubt already on your list of things to do in September.
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