From papyrus to pixels
The digital transformation of the way books are written, published and sold has only just begun
FINGERS stroke vellum; the calfskin pages are smooth, like paper, but richer, almost oily. The black print is crisp, and every Latin sentence starts with a lush red letter. One of the book’s early owners has drawn a hand and index finger which points, like an arrow, to passages worth remembering.
This article appeared in the Essay section of the print edition under the headline “From papyrus to pixels”
Essay October 11th 2014
From the October 11th 2014 edition
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