there is a certain amount of impropriety involved in showcasing religious screeds tracts under the title of “bookporn”. I acknowledge this & apologize in advance for blasphemy.
Koran from circa 1700. UNBEARABLY HOT. why do we not make books like this anymore? the only reason I can think of is that it is constantly at a much greater risk of damage, due to torrential salivation that will immediately emit from those who lay eyes upon it.
Korean Tripitaka (1236 AD). carved and assembled with infinite reverence — the oldest intact version of Buddhist canon in Chinese script — 6568 volumes in total. does this not send you into spasms of ecstasy? if not, you are clearly soulless.
images from here.
[edit] you can subscribe to the bookporn feed for more textual satisfaction
What’s even better about the Korean one is that those aren’t books: those are the wood blocks used to print the books. In theory, you could take those off the shelf, ink ‘em up and have a brand new 700-year old book….
indeed! I was going to write that they actually possess infinite levels of hotness, since in potentia they contain, you know, an infinite number of books.
McSweeney’s (San Francisco represent!) still puts books together with supreme care — their stuff isn’t actually always the most fun to read, but it is ALWAYS a wonder to behold. They actually think about the book as an object — not just a rectangle of pages with title & picture on the front.
“Screeds”?
@ Robin: but do they GOLD LEAF?!11?!!?
@ circularfile: you are right; “tract” is perhaps the more correct word
[...] bookporn #7: historical edition there is a certain amount of impropriety involved in showcasing religious screeds under the title of […] [...]
Please. Gold leaf is so 1700. Clearly the magical tomes of the future will be encrusted with LCD.
Fascinating!
oooooh. What a way to start the morning with a little book porn!
i agree with gold being old school lol its all about swarowski crystals now
gorgeous, thanks for sharing!
[...] bookporn #7: historical edition there is a certain amount of impropriety involved in showcasing religious screeds tracts under the title of […] [...]
These pictures are amazing! Thanks so much.
You’re all very welcome
it is v. heartening to see that so many people seem to like beautiful books — perhaps there is still a place in a pdf/ebook/email/e-journal-ridden world for the well-crafted tome yet!
[...] All previous disclaimers vis-a-vis the inappropriateness of associating Holy Books with Unholy Lechery [...]