In Portable Magic, Emma Smith presents an in-depth history of the book as a physical object, one that has the potential to enrapture, horrify and everything in between. In doing so, she considers the sometimes tricky relationship between humans and the written word, whether in the form of a parchment, a wax tablet, a hardback or paperback or, even, an ebook.
While it is undeniably an academic work, Smith is so clearly passionate about her subject that it is impossible not to get swept along with Portable Magic as it covers book-related topics as diverse as Choose Your Own Adventures, shelfies, religions of the book, book burnings, the origins of books as gifts and so much more. Some of these topics are obviously more weighty than others, but they are all equally interesting and handled in an equally enlightening way.
Through meticulous and wide-ranging research, Smith makes it clear just how important books have always been for humans as well as how their influence, whether for good or evil, has been pivotal to numerous key moments throughout history. She’s even brave enough to tackle the thorny issue of what a book actually is and, while she admits that there is no single definition, I think Smith’s contention that “A book that is not handled and read is not truly a book at all”.
If there’s one thing Portable Magic is missing, it is a selection of illustrations/photographs to accompany the text. It’s still a five-star read, but the inclusion of some additional material of this kind would have made it even better.
While it is undeniably an academic work, Smith is so clearly passionate about her subject that it is impossible not to get swept along with Portable Magic as it covers book-related topics as diverse as Choose Your Own Adventures, shelfies, religions of the book, book burnings, the origins of books as gifts and so much more. Some of these topics are obviously more weighty than others, but they are all equally interesting and handled in an equally enlightening way.
Through meticulous and wide-ranging research, Smith makes it clear just how important books have always been for humans as well as how their influence, whether for good or evil, has been pivotal to numerous key moments throughout history. She’s even brave enough to tackle the thorny issue of what a book actually is and, while she admits that there is no single definition, I think Smith’s contention that “A book that is not handled and read is not truly a book at all”.
If there’s one thing Portable Magic is missing, it is a selection of illustrations/photographs to accompany the text. It’s still a five-star read, but the inclusion of some additional material of this kind would have made it even better.