Book evolution in the material culture

Abstract

The book form and its place in the modern world from the point of view of the material embodiment are outlined. The review of various definitions of the concept “book” is presented. It is shown that at the moment there is no generally accepted definition of the book. Some definitions are very narrow, while others, on the contrary, interpret the book form too wide. The history of the appearance of the book as a flip through form is studied.The changes occurring in the principles of information perception in modern conditions against the background of the active development of electronic carriers are analyzed, the main causes of the book culture crisis are considered. The main problems, facing the book design in the present, are described; the main causes of the book culture crisis are identified. It is shown that in a modern consumer society a printed book often does not have an informational role, but, like in the Middle Ages, it is an indicator of an owner’s certain social status.Different variants of the evolutionary development of the book have been considered, the two main areas are distinguished. The first one is the synthesis of electronic and paper carriers through various mechanisms of augmented reality. The second one is underlining and exaggeration in the classical book of inherent qualities only, which cannot be simulated on electronic devices, such as scrolled form, evolving in space and time, tactility, physical boundaries, etc.