{"product_id":"portable-magic-a-history-of-books-and-their-readers-9781524749095","title":"Portable Magic: A History of Books and Their Readers","description":"\u003cb\u003eA history of one of humankind's most resilient and influential technologies over the past millennium--the book.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eStephen King once said that books are \"a uniquely portable magic.\" Here, Emma Smith takes readers on a literary adventure that spans centuries and circles the globe to uncover the reasons behind our obsession with this captivating object. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom disrupting the Western myth that the Gutenberg Press was the original printing project, to the decorative gift books that radicalized women to join the anti-slavery movement, to paperbacks being weaponized during World War II, to a book made entirely of plastic-wrapped slices of American cheese, \u003ci\u003ePortable Magic\u003c\/i\u003e explores how, when, and why books became so iconic. It's not just the content within a book that compels; it's the physical material itself, what Smith calls \"bookhood\" the smell, the feel of the pages, the margins to scribble in, the illustrations on the jacket, its solid heft. Every book is designed to influence our reading experience--to enchant, enrage, delight, and disturb us--and our longstanding love affair with books in turn has had direct, momentous consequences across time. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eRevelatory and entertaining in equal measure, \u003ci\u003ePortable Magic\u003c\/i\u003e will charm and challenge literature lovers of all kinds as it illuminates the transformative power and eternal appeal of the written word.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Knopf Publishing Group\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 11\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781524749095\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 352\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.17lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.25h x 5.63w x 0.97d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations: \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal Prepub Alert\u003c\/i\u003e 06\/01\/2022 pg. 14\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/22\/2022\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/15\/2022\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Emma Smith","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42389605122229,"sku":"9781524749095","price":23.8,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0473\/0804\/6492\/products\/img_f3ba6e3f-1731-49d5-8489-971122b1c765.jpg?v=1663682622","url":"https:\/\/pastforward.org\/products\/portable-magic-a-history-of-books-and-their-readers-9781524749095","provider":"Past Forward","version":"1.0","type":"link"}