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Abstract
The aim of this paper is to reach a level of conceptual clarity about what we call a book. The motivation for this exercise lies in the desire to chart the trajectory of the book as a cultural phenomenon in light of the gradual move to shorter textual expression that is taking place alongside the delivery of stories in other forms besides text. For this purpose the article takes a historical perspective without, however, attempting to chart all the phases in the development of the book. Concurrently with the move to shorter textual expression, in the digital reading environment the basic elements of the 1964 UNESCO definition of the book (printed, a minimum number of pages) have had to be left behind. Alongside the arrival of new publishing business models, the entire notion of the book is in jeopardy. This set of developments calls for a fundamental reconsideration of how we define a book in relation to other book-like objects and text forms. The approach taken is iterative, moving closer towards a definition of the book whilst acknowledging the arrival of offspring such as the ebook and audiobook.
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Authors and Affiliations
Filozofska fakulteta UL, Aškerčeva 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia
Miha Kovač
Headington Hill Hall, Oxford Brookes University, Headington, Oxford, OX3 0BP, UK
Angus Phillips
Leiden University, Postbus 9515, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
Adriaan van der Weel
Rüdiger Wischenbart Content and Consulting, Laudongasse 50-7, 1080, Vienna, Austria
Ruediger Wischenbart
- Miha Kovač
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- Angus Phillips
Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar
- Adriaan van der Weel
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- Ruediger Wischenbart
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Correspondence toMiha Kovač.
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Kovač, M., Phillips, A., van der Weel, A.et al. What is a Book?.Pub Res Q35, 313–326 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12109-019-09665-5
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