What is it that stands out to you? Large book titled "Financial Peace" by Dave Ramsey.
Why? It wasn't put back in properly, so the cover is showing instead of the spine.
Choose a red book and open it to page 6. Close your eyes and put your finger on the page somewhere.
What did you find? The page is completely blank.
If your finger landed on a paragraph, how many times does the letter P show up in that paragraph? N/A
If it landed on a picture, how many straight lines are in the picture? N/A
If it landed on white space, what is the white space surrounding? It surrounds nothing; the page is completely blank.
Can you imagine the white space as a sea and the other parts (words, pictures, etc.) as islands floating in white water or space? No, there are no words or pictures to imagine as islands.
Using your other senses, explain what the paper feels like.
Is it slick or rough? Smooth like vellum paper, but not slick
What does the cover feel like? Like wax paper
Can you feel the ink of the words if you close your eyes? No
Do different colors feel different with your eyes closed? Yes
What else can you discover about the paper? The ends of the pages are cut to make it look like it is torn
What about the cover? The cover is paper that wraps into the book itself; it isn't a traditional cover.
Without destroying the book, unless you own it and want to, see if you can figure out how the book was constructed.
Is it stitched? Yes
Is it glued? Yes
Is there any cloth on this book or is it all paper? All paper
Is it a hardback or paperback? Hardback
Does it have signatures? (Hint: you may need to look up what signatures are in the context of making books…) Yes
If it has signatures, how many pages are in each and how many signatures are there in the whole book?
8; 28
If it does not, look at the glue on the ends of the spine and describe what you see. N/A
Flip through the pages and look at the end papers.
Is there any writing in the book, other than the printing? No
If so, what does it say? N/A
Why is it there? N/A
Who wrote it? N/A
If you do not know, then imagine who might have written it. N/A
If there is no writing in the book then how does it make you feel to know you are the first person (possibly) to think about it? It's surprising there is no wording actually because I feel that most people would put their name in their books.
Examine the book more.
Are there any stains on the book? No
Are there any fingerprints? No
What do they look like? N/A
How might they have happened? N/A
Look at the pages of the book.
What is the color of the pages? I bet they are not really white. Off-white
How would you describe the color? Is it warm or cold? Bright or dull, etc. Warm; dull
What other visual things can you explore with the book? The endpages are red.
Think about the history of this book.
Can you see any other evidence that someone else has handled this book? Yes
What are the edges of the pages like? Describe them. They were cut so that it looks like they are torn
Can you imagine what someone else might have been thinking as they read this book? Seeking inspiration at overcoming the difficulties of life
Do you think anyone else has used this book like you are right now instead of reading it? No
Flip through the pages quickly.
Can you hear the sound? If so, describe it. Yes; like someone flipping through a deck of cards
If not, what is your experience like?
Can you feel the breeze? Yes
Can you move something with the wind generated from the book? No
Could you use this book to win a game you created using the book's wind power? No it isn't as prominent as some other books; the hard cover makes it difficult to flip through the pages quickly.
Drop the book on the floor.
What did you experience? Sounded like something dropped on tile even though I dropped it on carpet.
Did you sense the vibrations the book made? No
Did you feel it in your feet? No
Take your shoes off. Now drop the book. Was there any difference? No
Hold the book between your hands with one hand on each cover and the book closed. Close your eyes.
Is the book cold? Hold it like that for at least one minute. Yes
Now feel the cover. Can you feel the temperature change from where your hands were to where they were not? Yes
Have you ever been aware of this before when you were holding a book to read it? No
If your heat transfers in this situation and you noticed it because I asked you to, why do you think you have never noticed it before? I don't hold a book's cover with my hands while reading; rather, I keep it propped open by using my pinkie finger and my thumb on the inside of the book.
If you have noticed the temperature of a book you were holding before, describe why you noticed it. N/A
Smell the book.
What does the smell make you think of? Glue
If you can't think of anything, describe the smells you can sense. (Interesting fact: Did you know that I have friends [many librarians, actually] who choose their books partly based on how they smell? Honestly.)
I do not recommend tasting the book for health and safety issues… :-) N/A
Now, finally, read the first page. If it is just pictures, read the story of the pictures.
What is the title of this book? The Circle Maker
Based on the first page, explain why you think the book was titled that. The book probably is about dissecting life into the small parts that make us who we are, and then trying to improve in each area individually.
Reflect back on this entire exericise.
What is your experience like with the book now that you have experienced it differently? It makes me think of reasons why the author would want the book to be created with these specific materials instead of something else.
Do you still find books to be boring, assuming you did in the first place? I love books so I can't answer this one.
What, if anything has changed for you in regards to books? More appreciation of the craftsmanship of the book instead of just reading to enjoy the story itself.
Now think about this class.
How did I "fishbowl" this assignment? I had the preconceived notion that I love books for the stories they hold, and that the contents of the books were what was important, rather than the appearance of the books themselves.
What do you think the point is of this exercise? To open up our minds to recognize just how many choices are made about books that have nothing to do with the stories they hold.
What can you take from this exercise that might help you with future projects? Don't get caught up in the super tiny insignificant things, but don't disregard their existence either. Find the balance.
