Create Book Design The power of books Part 1: Ex 1 Influencial Books

 "Consider the importance of books to you both personally and within a broader global sense."

 In this exercise I was to document and annotate all the books I found the most memorable or influential to me growing up and/or now. These books I chose either had an importance to me in some way or just because I liked the textures of pictures, interactive parts or of story inside.

 

Starting from the first few I remember reading:

All these books above were my favourite books as a kid, I've always loved books with textures, colours, pop up just anything interactive. I think books like these are inspiring for my career path they are good references into designs I'd like to have in my own books.

The only book I can seem to connect these above especially a space book A Complete Picture of the Universe: Written by Tom Jackson, 2009 Edition to is by researching one of the first moving books by Ramon Llull a poet who was one of the first people to use moving features in a book. He used a "revolving disc in his literature to help demonstrate his complex theories". there were many movable books that followed to display anatomy, astrology, and other things as well as children’s books. This book reminded me of that space book which also had a disc at the back which you could read stars.

 

"One of the earlier examples of movable devices in children’s books comes from publisher Robert Sayer. In 1770, Sayer produced a line of books called, “metamorphoses books.” Also called, “harlequinades” or “turn-up” books" These books would be pages with the story a pictures on the pages but there would be flaps of the pages that could be pulled out to reveal more pictures or words to the reader.

  references

wiki.uiowa.edu. (n.d.). History of the Pop-Up Book - Theatre Arts - UIowa Wiki. [online] Available at: https://wiki.uiowa.edu/display/theatre/History+of+the+Pop-Up+Book.

 Corba, L. (2014). A Brief History of the Pop-Up Book. [online] Bookstellyouwhy.com. Available at: https://blog.bookstellyouwhy.com/a-brief-history-of-the-pop-up-book.

www.liquisearch.com. (n.d.). Pop-up Book - History. [online] Available at: https://www.liquisearch.com/pop-up_book/history.

 Domestika. (n.d.). A Brief History of Pop-Up Books | Blog. [online] Available at: https://www.domestika.org/en/blog/5236-a-brief-history-of-pop-up-books.

 

This book was part of this waterstones competition our year did and everyone chose a book to read and we all had to review the book in a short paragraph and my review won and ended up hanging under the book in waterstones for the public to read. I also won a voucher for books too.

Another childhood book that I’ve kept since 2001 is this tiny pocketbook called "Life's a Beach" and its literally just full of random SpongeBob-isms and quotes from the episodes. But because I was obsessed with SpongeBob and still love it I had to keep it. It's also funny that the quotes on the pages I know exactly what episodes they're from.

 

Then growing a bit older I'd say leading up to my early teen years and in secondary school:

These books I remember were the first set I ever bought with my own money in the year 6 book fair as well as this amazing silver shiny space book which I gave away but I can’t remember what it was called and can’t find anything when googling but anyway they were all full of facts and interactive parts an mini maps, ropes, tags, books all relating to the subjects as well pull outs and pop ups. I was in my own little world reading them for hours. There was loads more of this 'OLOGY' set but I never bought anymore. I can also connect these to my research on pup up, fold out books above.

Moving into my first year of seniors we had a reading class where you could pick a book from the library to take home, I only read two of these books but they were the first full books I read without assistance or pictures. These books were just so intense, and it was like I was in the story I got into them so much.

Of mice and men is a story of two men needing to find work it is "Set during the Great Depression, it's a short and heart-breaking study of loneliness, friendship, and the impossibility of achieving the American Dream." Similarly, another book that portrays the idea of the American dream but from a richer perspective is F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 'The Great Gatsby' during pivotal moment in American society set during a depression and during the roaring 20s. 

 https://study.com/academy/lesson/books-similar-to-of-mice-and-men.html

 

https://booksandbao.com/books-like-rebecca-new-old/

Having a look at similar themed books to Rebecca I came across a classic, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Rebecca having a gothic tone Jane Eyre also carry a gothic tone, both characters are both lonely in a big house and there is an element of love involved. This love for the men in the story carries some hidden mystery surrounding them.

These books I studied at school, and they stick out in my head because of how in depth we had to analyse them and write essays about the meaning. I did like dissecting these stories because it gave more meaning to them all. None of these books were boring either. The winter’s tale I did for A levels and being in Shakespearean language it was really interesting to jump back in time through the old language which certainly isn’t used today.

 Now, I don't really read books; I’ve never had the patience either sadly. I do wish I read more, the last book I have read outside of school is called Happy by Derren Brown that has been used in a previous unit and I've been in the middle of it for about 2 years now. What I have read of it so far is interesting though it’s kind of a breakdown of what makes people happy and what and is kind of like a self-help book which at the time of purchase I thought might help me in some way.

 

Another set of books that I've found helpful a still glance out now an again are these anatomy books by George B Bridgman. They are quite complex, but I copy some of the constructions and try it out with my own drawings. It is a complex book but very thorough when trying to illustrate people. the fundamentals are broken down using shapes and explained next to the drawings.

These books I think can definitely relate to Leonardo Da Vincis - Anatomy of man. He as an artist would map and draw very detailed humans and the way he could create such detailed anatomy was the fact he used to collect dead bodies and study them. I'd say his work surrounding anatomy as well as his art is heavily influential during not only the renaissance era but now with studying of bodies being a normal and important part of science and medical progression. "Leonardo was among the first artists to study human anatomy in great detail, in a period when scientific investigation of the body was severely limited by church doctrine. His anatomical drawings reveal him to be a gifted observer of the human body - studying living men and women as well as cadavers which he dissected to draw every vessel, muscle and organ." This is a summary written about the book

https://www.goodreads.com/list/sho/36714.The_100_Most_Influential_Books_Ever_Written  These are a few of the books that are considered the most influential in the world. I picked the few that I could relate to my list.

 

The complete works by William Shakespeare. Being one of the most well-known creatives an example of Shakespeare is the influence he has with is literature through history. His work is often studied and references in education, In my school we studied a few of his pieces such as the winter’s tale, Othello, Romeo and Juliet, A Christmas carol and others.

 

 

Charles Darwin Origin of Species, used as a reference for the theory of evolution and species behaviour. This relates to Da Vincis the anatomy of man as they are both used as a science and biologically to understand the bodies, evolution and development of man and animals. 

 

The Holy Bible King James edition. The bible is very important for Christianity, the whole religion follows the word and reaching of the bible through its stories. I suppose this can relate to the OLOGY books I have read which contains stories, lore’s and information about a subject such as Egyptology.

 

In addition to this The Quran is also one of the most globally important books. That two contains the teachings, stories, lore’s of Islam which Muslims believe is the word of God.

 

 

There were a few books on the list that where a lot more political, I suppose I could relate these books to books such as Of Mice and Men and The Great Gatsby as both have political undertones surround the 'American Dream' and new and old money. 

George Orwell’s 1984 is a mixture of politics and psychology. One of the reviews has summed up their impression of the books meaning “It seems that the main and recurring message in this book is about censorship and brainwashing. One, censorship, is limited and little exposure to ideas of the world; the other, brainwashing, is forced and too much exposure to a certain ideas. Both can be extremely dangerous." which I suppose although a bit more extreme follows that need for power in the books in my list.

 

The communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Fredrich Engels is also about economics and politics and capitalism.

 

There were plenty more on the list, but these were close if not the top of the list.