Bespoke books

A peek into the easy town books

cover for easy town books

What are the easy town books?

The easy town books tell the story of a town project which aims at rethinking — well, everything.

The following paragraphs are some text messages from book 2, travelling.

book 2/2, travelling, Berlin

quotes from book 2/2, travelling

18:48 We should set up book workshops, like in The Great Library of Sitseaf. Then a customer could take their favourite poems, plays or stories to the book workshop and get an edition with a unique layout, cover and binding, maybe even with illustrations. Such an edition could be offered to other people too, and someone could buy an edition designed by Mr Jack Harris /-) Though that sounds a bit too cheesy. But if you think about it, it’s unsustainable to print as many books as we are printing today. Besides, how many books does a person really care about? I mean long-term. I’d be happy to pay a lot to have my favourite books printed and illustrated in a special edition. An edition I like as much as the content. For Wilde’s Ballad of Reading Goal, and Aïtmatov’s Jamilia, and Socrate’s Apology, I’d definitely get special editions. And, of course, for the Lord of the Rings.

18:50 Actually, I just remembered, the Hub Station Team in Cape Town suggested something like that. And even better. They are building a writer’s studio which includes a workshop for bespoke books.

18:51 Maybe you could read a story on a cheap printout first, or on an e-reader. Get to know the story. And only if you like the story, you buy an actual book that’s meant to stay with you.

18:54 And we could have a book station. A place where you can take your old paper, the cheap printouts and the books you don’t need or want any more, and then your new bespoke book gets printed on your recycled paper. Or at least on part of that paper. That way you have a connection to the recycling process. You put something old in on one side, and get something new out on the other. I think having a connection to production processes is important. And if it is, then that’s another good argument to go for local smallish businesses.

book 2/2, travelling, Berlin

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