Books as Objects
Every book is an object before it is a text. The cover communicates before the first word. The weight communicates before the first page. Some works use this fact deliberately — making the physical properties of the book part of the meaning.
The physical properties of a book
A standard book communicates its intentions before it is opened: the thickness suggests length; the cover design suggests genre; the font choices suggest period and seriousness. These material signals are so familiar that a work can use them deliberately to set expectations — and then violate them.
The book as art object
Artists' books and livre d'artiste works treat the book as a sculptural and visual object — not primarily a text delivery system. William Blake's illuminated manuscripts, the surrealists' livre d'artiste editions, contemporary artist books that are almost unreadable — all use the form of the book in ways that exceed conventional reading.
The Archive's books as objects
Archive books use the physical and formal properties of the book — cover, page count, genre subtitle, author name — to set up and deliver the joke. A 261-page book titled EW, labeled 'A Novel,' looks exactly like a novel from the outside. The object's claim is the setup. Opening it to find 261 pages of 'ew' is the payoff. The book works as an object even before it's read. (EW · UGH · LOL · YIKES · MEH)
Frequently asked questions
What is a book as object?
An approach to publishing where the physical properties of the book — its form, weight, cover, structure — are part of the meaning rather than just containers for text.
Are Archive books art objects?
They can be read as art objects — physical items where the form is the content and the material properties of the book carry meaning. They are also gag gifts, novelty books and absurdist literary experiments.
Related in the Archive
Conceptual Comedy · Books That Are the Joke · Experimental Literature