The literary tradition is very much alive and well in New York City these days. In an era where the virtual word is taking over the printed word very quickly, it’s a difficult business for anyone that still likes the idea of holding the object in your hand without it lighting up on its own. It’s been a very tough time for all the major publishers, even, not to mention all the fantastic small presses that were blossoming in the 80s and 90s. Used bookstores are also feeling the hit, but there’s hope that the novelty of reading books online will eventually subside, and things will return to earlier levels.
It’s difficult to know for sure, but for a culture that’s oriented around the subway system, printed matter is still a welcome relief for a long subway ride, where an open laptop might be a little risky when contending with the crowds. Organizations like the Bookbinders Guild in New York are still very active, and have a real place in the culture here. It’s great for locals who still value the artifact over the replica, and visitors can choose from a very substantial number of professional bookbinders all over the city.
One can have their own manuscripts prepared in a wide selection of styles and forms, and the limits are only set by the imagination. Bookbinding is a very old art, and one that is continually reinvented by the generations who love to read. The smell of a leather binding, and the feel of raised bands adorned with gilt are timeless pleasures, and they’re certainly not lost, even in this day and age.
Books do offer a certain solace, to locals as well as travelers, relaxing after a long and busy day in their NY hotels , where one can escape the electronic pulses and enter into the electronic sparks of the life of the mind. And while the ghosts that still haunt Booksellers Row in the Bowery, there is an old energy here that still maintains that knowledge is power.
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