Book
A book may be defined in many different ways, including:
- a physical unit consisting of pages that are held together along one of the
edges,
- a form of publication (see: Publications,
forms of)
- a bibliographical unit (containing a certain minimum of pages as opposite to
pamphlets),
- a statistical unit which may, for example, include
sound books on tape.
The book has had exceptional cultural influence.
The history of
the book is an established field of research with a main focus on the technical
aspects of book production.
Literature:
Eisenstein, E. L. (1979). The Printing Press as an Agent of Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Feather, J. (1986). A Dictionary of Book History. New York: Oxford University Press.
Glaister, G. A. (1996). Encyclopedia of the Book, Second Edition. New Castle, DE: Oak Knoll Press.
Lynch, C. (2001). The battle to define the future of the book in the digital world [online]. First Monday, 6 (10). Available: http://www.firstmonday.dk/issues/issue6_6/lynch/index.html [April 08, 2006].
Traister, D. H. (1989). Book. IN: International Encyclopedia of Communications. Vol. 1-4. Editor in Chief Erik Barnouw. New York & Oxford: Oxford University Press (Pp. 209-217).
See also: Bibliography; Monograph
Birger Hjørland
Last edited: 08-04-2006