Dwarsliggers!
I am head-over-heels in love with dwarsliggers, and I’ve never even seen one. They’re mini books that open like a calendar — the spine is the top of the book — but you read the text left-to-right (or right-to-left, if your language goes right-to-left). So when you open it, the text is running horizontally the length of the book, rather than horizontally in a vertical setting. They can fit a whole book on onion skin paper, and you have a tiny copy you can fit in your pocket.
Squee!
I’ve always wanted to write squee.
I know that I’m nearing the end of my mini book reading days. I’m not quite ready for bifocals, though I do like to take off my glasses to read at night. And I’m aware there are other ways to carry a book with you; I have dozens of books on my phone, for instance. But I’m a paper sort of girl. I like a physical book. And this would allow me to slip it in a tiny purse or my pocket.
While they’re widely available in the Netherlands, The New York Times states that John Green’s books are going to be the first ones released in the US as a test case. Which is unfortunate because I already own his books. I’m not really seeking new copies of books I’ve already read and own. Though I reserve the right to purchase one regardless if I see it in the bookstore and my heart starts pounding.
John Green says, “They’re objects that you almost can’t get until you’re touching them.” Um, no, Mr. Green. I get it, and I’m in love. Sight unseen.
Yes or no to mini books?
11 comments
Me too! I really want to see one, hold one, and then I’m pretty sure I’ll buy one (or several) lol.
Hmmm. I really feel like o would need to physical hold it and see it before I could decide. On one hand, I hate books with tiny text because it gives me a headache to read. And I feel like something smaller than a normal sized book would be more likely to get messed up or lost in my purse. But without seeing it in person, I won’t really know. I think the idea of it is really cool, even if it doesn’t work for me personally.
This is so cool!! A book that I could carry with me everywhere. That’s worth giving up an e-reader for.
My eyesight seemed to change almost overnight. I’m nearsighted and I always just wore the one prescription until I was about 45 years old and I noticed I had to take my glasses off to read books to my kids then suddenly I had to get bifocals. And also a separate computer prescription because neither my regular prescription nor my reading prescription works for that. Literally when I was 44 everything was fine and then by the time I was 45 I had to have three prescriptions. And I tried progressive and it just doesn’t work for me.
My eye doc says this tends to happen to people in their 40s.
I occasionally wear contacts but since progressive glasses didn’t work for me I didn’t want to get progressive lenses and I think bifocal lenses would be too weird so I just use my regular nearsighted prescription which means when I have my contacts on I can’t read anything including my phone…So obviously I couldn’t wear them to work even if I wanted to
So… Probably for me, a no on the mini books
Hi!
I would love to hear you say “dwarsliggers” ! 🙂
Did you know the transitive meaning is ‘someonewho goes in perpendicular direction’ ? (as not going with the flow)
(not a good thing for the unborn trying to find the way out)
greetings from Amsterdam
A friend of mine works there! I’ll share your comment with her. Did you know the are original a bible publisher. So they had some experience with the thin paper…
Ooooh, I love it! I wasn’t sure how it was going to read, but I love the orientation of it. I would totally try this! Also, I would love to have a British accent and say, convincingly, “I’d take this on holiday!”
Also, bifocals aren’t terrible! I’ve now gotten used to mine and don’t feel dizzy going down stairs anymore. And progressives mean only you know you have magnifying powers… Just throwing that out in case it helps!
I’ve seen these at the library here! They were only in Finnish books, that i wasn’t interested in…so I haven’t read one. But I love their smallness.
Generally, I have a small bag, that is a bit bigger than the books, I keep books in while they travel with me, to preserve them. 🙂
Haha, Valery.
I love this idea! Especially for traveling. Very cool!
Mini-books are a no for me. I’m already in bifocals and working towards trifocals. I’ll stick to my kindle and full sized books.