Klastrup's Cataclysms

This is the research diary of researcher Lisbeth Klastrup, since february 2001 sharing her thoughts on life, universe, persistent online worlds, games, interactive stories and internet oddities with you on the www.

I am currently on leave from the IT University of Copenhagen, and from aug. 2006 - aug. 2007 working as Associate Research Professor at the Center for Design Research Copenhagen, an independant center situated at the School of Architecture. During this year, I will be working on a book about the development of aesthetics, design and interaction on the WWW, together with colleague Ida Engholm.

My blog often reflects how busy I am in general, so posting may be pretty irregular, as well as my potential response to comments. But I read them!

My list of publications.
My official homepage at ITU.

Contact:
lisbethATklastrupDOTdk

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©Lisbeth Klastrup 2001-2007

15.12.04

Book materiality lives

There is a small article in Politiken about a booming sale of books in Denmark before christmas. Which is good (to know that people actually still read ;)) - but the most interesting part, however, is the short summary towards the end of the article, quoting a survey of the Dane's book reading habits. According to that one of the most important parts of book buying is the "knock-test" (as the journalist puts it). To 1/3 of the buyers it is important that the book makes a noise when you knock on it (i.e. is NOT a paperback). Whether the book is published this year or not is less important, only every 8th buyer mentions this as a ground for purchasing books. Thought-provoking that the concrete materiality of the book still matters so much!

# posted by Lisbeth at: 07:30

Comments:

Materiality might mean for for gift-buying than for reading, don't you think? A hardback looks like a more expensive and certainly more "solid" present than an airport or supermarket paperback.

It seems to me (though I have no hard evidence) that hardbacks are far more common in Scandinavia than in Anglo countries, though. In Australia and USA I have the impression most novels are published straight to paperback, whereas all novels are published in hardback here, except for serials about iceage bodice-ripping, and then the ones that sell best will come in paperback a year later.

# posted by Jill : 8:59 AM

Most new fiction is being published in hardcover here in Denmark. Popular fiction like the Dan Brown book (or Harry Potter) goes into cheap cardboard hardbacks if the publishers reckon they have a hit on their hands. The average Danish readers prefers these cardboard hardbacks to hardcovers or even aperbacks. Real hardbacks are rather scarce.

And I personally think materiality has a great deal of influence on what and how we read, but I am biased ;)

# posted by :: Tinka : 1:36 PM

My Other Places
Death Stories project
Walgblog (DK)
DK forskerblogs (DK)
klast at del.icio.us
Site feed Link (Atom)
Klastrup family?

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Buy our book

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Conferences
ACE 2007
Mobile Media 2007
MobileCHI 07
Perth DAC 2007
DIGRA 2007
AOIR 8.0/2007

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My Ph.D. thesis website:
Towards a Poetics of Virtual Worlds

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Misc
I also used to host & work in a world called StoryMOO.