8 votes

Tiny books fit in one hand. Will they change the way we read?

6 comments

  1. [2]
    tesseractcat
    Link
    I'd be more interested in the effects of phones and e-reading apps than in the effects of small novelty versions of regular books.

    I'd be more interested in the effects of phones and e-reading apps than in the effects of small novelty versions of regular books.

    4 votes
    1. cptcobalt
      Link Parent
      I'm tempted to buy the tiny book versions of these, but have already read all of them on my Kindle. For me, as much as I love having a physical bookshelf, e-reading is the way to go. I can start a...

      I'm tempted to buy the tiny book versions of these, but have already read all of them on my Kindle.

      For me, as much as I love having a physical bookshelf, e-reading is the way to go. I can start a book on my kindle (pretty much the perfect distraction free hardware), pick it up on my Mac while waiting for a build and tests to run, read it some more on my phone while waiting for lunch, and then return back to my Kindle that evening for 30 more minutes—it all stays in sync, and that massively improves the amount that I can read during the day.

      1 vote
  2. [2]
    CALICO
    Link
    I suppose I'll be the dissenting voice here—I think this is fascinating. I loathe reading on my phone, and even the experience of my 3rd Gen Kindle leaves something to be desired, even if both...

    I suppose I'll be the dissenting voice here—I think this is fascinating.
    I loathe reading on my phone, and even the experience of my 3rd Gen Kindle leaves something to be desired, even if both could contain enough books to shame the Library of Alexandria. A physical book is always my preference. There's a certain something about them that electronic alternatives can't match. I'm always checking out stacks at my local libraries, and my personal library has more copies than I have shelf space. While full-sized hardcovers are my ideal, most of my collection exists as mass-market paperbacks. I often carry a book or few with me when I go about in public. What limits me right now is the mass and volume my books take up, and I live in a small studio apartment. A smaller alternative would be wonderful. I could hold more stories in the same space, and it would be far more convenient when carrying books in public.

    4 votes
    1. cfabbro
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Yeah me too. I love pocket books! I have quite a few Zen koan/poem ones. They are great for meditating on the go and there is something about reading them in an actual, physical book form (no...

      Yeah me too. I love pocket books! I have quite a few Zen koan/poem ones. They are great for meditating on the go and there is something about reading them in an actual, physical book form (no matter how diminutive) that I just don't get from my Kindle or iPad.

      1 vote
  3. Mentat
    Link
    This sounds horrible. With something the size of a cellphone, I can carry around 1000s of books. I can also swipe upward through pages, like a smartphone... All without worrying about tearing...

    The tiny editions are the size of a cellphone and no thicker than your thumb, with paper as thin as onion skin. They can be read with one hand — the text flows horizontally, and you can flip the pages upward, like swiping a smartphone.

    This sounds horrible. With something the size of a cellphone, I can carry around 1000s of books. I can also swipe upward through pages, like a smartphone... All without worrying about tearing pages as thin as onion skin.

    This really strikes me as something that misses the draw of physical books. It's like trying to make something as much like a smartphone as possible, checking all the wrong boxes.

    3 votes
  4. clone1
    Link
    Probably not.

    Probably not.

    8 votes