Judging a Book by its Cover (amongst other criteria)
In the event I don't have the books that are currently on my shelves I thought I would use the camera's time honoured role as chamber of memory capture to fix some photographically. Many books, although substantive between the covers, do not have a particularly engaging design or feel. However a number of books are pleasurable as objects in themselves and hence can be appreciated through photographs. To meet this criteria they have to have one or more of the following: an excellent or engaging cover design, a beautiful image, an interesting title and/or a well constructed object. They don't necessarily need to be in great nick, as wear can sometimes add to the aesthetic pleasure of a great book. I do think however that the content between the covers has influenced my selection to some degree. These books also happen to be excellent in their content as well as their presentation, I suppose that's why I still have them (though I must admit Anselm Kiefer's 'Die Argonauten' is rather inaccessable and Bill Henson's 'Mnemosyne' has a few queasy photos amongst the many beautiful ones). Here is my selection:
P.S. My influence in doing this was this fantastic website www.agoodbook.de
