Books as art

On a writer's forum, I read that this is the last year of The Best American Erotica series. I have mixed feelings about this. Generally speaking, it's sad to see an anthology market disappear. On the other hand, I see new erotica anthologies almost every month. I don't think it's a death toll for the erotica anthology market.

So I was reading Susie Bright's interview about this, and something she said caught my attention:

The art of bookmaking, rare and precious bookmaking, is hot. Books are too sensual to go away. The book as objet d'art, as something you long to hold in your hands— as well as to read— is the future of the physical book.

Books as art...it's not an original concept, but it gave me an "a-ha" moment. In another random article (I've forgotten where) I read that a lot of graphic novelists are creating books with hand-made binding and special details. In order to survive the fickle market, you need something different from the average book.

I don't think e-books are the future of reading. Despite the convenience factor, I don't like staring at a screen. However, I do see the appeal of meticulously-crafted books. Of course the writing is the most important thing, but what about the packaging? The book as an object of art...it's something to think about. I need to look into this subject.