Do you know how to ‘use’ a book?
Something strange seems to be happening. It appears that people no longer know how to use books. Perhaps it’s the rise of the internet that’s caused this worrying trend. Or perhaps kids are no longer taught ‘advanced book use’ in school. Whatever it is, it’s lucky that editors are there to help us out.
So, how do I know about this decline in our book-using ability?
Recently I’ve noticed a tendency for books to include bizarre usage notes. The New Influencers includes a two-page section called How to Use this Book. And I’m happy it does - otherwise I would have had no idea how to use it. I would have ended up doing something stupid, like simply reading it. And The History of Art, published by Star Fire, has a section called How To Read This Book - an essential bit of information in a book that’s mainly pictures.
Really, what’s going on? Have we lost the book skills we once had? Or are editors just trying to be funky?
March 31st, 2009 at 11:13 am
I think if you feel it’s necessary to include instructions with your book (unless the book is a paper airplane how-to guide), you must not be very confident about its contents. If there’s such a potential for misunderstanding (or misuse) then you might need to do some serious editing.