Fancy Books Are a Handful

Books have been around a very long time. They serve the purpose of preserving information and history, as well as passing stories and ideas from one generation to the next. Books have two basic parts- a cover, and the pages inside. However, creativity coupled with new advances in printing and binding have enabled books to become works of art.

Go to any major bookstore and you’ll be delighted with what you’ll find in nearly every category for adults and children.

Printing companies are able to print on an astonishing array of materials (cloth, leather, metal, plastic, wood) using the most vibrant inks, including metallics and foils. You’ll notice that the pages in different books represent numerous varieties of paper: smooth coated finishes, uncoated dull surfaces, textured linen surfaces or pearlized coatings that add luster and shine. Pages can be thick, with deckled edges, or they can be extremely thin and nearly transparent, designed for a reader to look through them to words or images on the next page.

Debossing and embossing make images seem three-dimensional. Die cuts can create interesting shapes, patterns and edges. Pages can unfold, and messages can be pulled out from little envelopes and slots attached to the page. Pop-ups are more intricate than ever, with castles and cathedrals springing up in full detail with the flip of a page.

Computer-aided design and sophisticated printing presses enable publishers to create exquisitely rendered illustrations and photos. Varnishing techniques put a glossy coating over images, adding richness and dimension that practically leaps off the page.

Other innovations include sound chips embedded in a book to add music or dialogue. Some children’s books enable a caregiver to record themselves reading a story so a child can turn the pages and listen as many times as they like.

These beautiful books not only present information in a different way, they engage our senses in a manner unmatched by any other medium.