The evolution of the book - Julie Dreyfuss

譯者: Crystal Yip 審譯者: Max Chern

What makes a book a book?

何謂書呢？

Is it just anything that stores and communicates information?

它只是儲存和傳播資訊的東西嗎？

Or does it have to do with paper,

抑或以下元素必不可少：紙張

binding,

訂裝

font,

ink,

字體

油墨

its weight in your hands,

捧在手上的重量

the smell of the pages?

書頁的氣味？

Is this a book?

這是書嗎？

Probably not.

或許不是

But is this?

那麼這個呢？

To answer these questions,

要回答這些問題

we need to go back to the start of the book as we know it

我們需要回到書的歷史

and understand how these elements came together to make something

並理解以上元素如何構成 不只是它們總合的東西

more than the sum of their parts.

The earliest object that we think of as a book is the codex,

我們能想到最早的書是古抄本

a stack of pages bound along one edge.

它是一疊紙沿單邊裝訂成冊

But the real turning point in book history

但書的歷史轉捩點

was Johannes Gutenberg's printing press in the mid-15th century.

是 15 世紀中期 約翰內斯·古騰堡的印刷機

The concept of moveable type had been invented much earlier in Eastern culture,

東方早已發明活字印刷

but the introduction of Gutenberg's press had a profound effect.

但古騰堡印刷機的引進影響深遠

Suddenly, an elite class of monks and the ruling class

突然間，僧侶精英階級和統治階級

no longer controlled the production of texts.

不再控制文本的生產

Messages could spread more easily,

資訊能更容易傳播

and copies could constantly be produced,

印刷本能不斷生產

so printing houses popped up all over Europe.

因此印刷廠於歐洲 如雨後春筍般地出現

The product of this bibliographic boom is familiar to us in some respects,

於興旺時期的書與現在相比， 在某些方面我們很熟悉

but markedly different in others.

但其他方面則有明顯不同

The skeleton of the book is paper, type, and cover.

書的主幹是紙張、字體和封面

More than 2000 years ago, China invented paper as a writing surface,

二千多年前， 中國發明紙張，用作書寫面

which was itself predated by Egyptian papyrus.

而在更早以前埃及已發明莎草紙

However, until the 16th century,

但 16 世紀以前

Europeans mainly wrote on thin sheets of wood

歐洲人主要書寫在薄木片

and durable parchment made of stretched animal skins.

和由動物毛皮拉伸 製成的耐用羊皮紙

Eventually, the popularity of paper spread throughout Europe,

最後，紙張漸於歐洲各地流行

replacing parchment for most printings because it was less expensive in bulk.

成批紙張較便宜， 因此多用以取代羊皮紙

Inks had been made by combining organic plant and animal dyes

以往墨水是混合有機植物 與動物染料，加上水或酒而製成

with water or wine,

but since water doesn't stick to metal type,

但因為水不能沾附於金屬活字

use of the printing press required a change to oil-based ink.

所以印刷機得轉用油性墨水

Printers used black ink made of a mixture of lamp soot,

打印機用的黑色油墨乃混合 燈煙灰、松節油和核桃油而製成

turpentine,

and walnut oil.

And what about font size and type?

那麼字型大小和字體呢？

The earliest movable type pieces consisted of reversed letters

最早的活動字模是一組反寫的字母

cast in relief on the ends of lead alloy stocks.

凸字鑄在鉛合金塊的末端

They were handmade and expensive,

字模乃手工製造，價格昂貴

and the designs were as different as the people who carved their molds.

出自不同的刻字模工匠，樣式各異

Standardization was not really possible until mass manufacturing

在大量生產和普及的文字處理系統 出現以前，未能有標準字體

and the creation of an accessible word processing system.

As for style, we can thank Nicolas Jenson for developing two types of Roman font

至於字體，有賴尼古拉·讓松 設計了兩種羅馬字體

that led to thousands of others,

後衍生千萬種其他字體

including the familiar Times Roman.

包括為人熟悉的泰晤士羅馬體

Something had to hold all this together,

我們仍須結合以上所有部份

and until the late 15th century,

15 世紀後期以前

covers consisted of either wood,

封面乃木製

or sheets of paper pasted together.

或以疊紙相糊而成

These would eventually be replaced by rope fiber millboard,

後漸被繩纖書面厚紙取代

originally intended for high quality bindings in the late 17th century,

這厚紙原本用於 17 世紀後期的高級裝訂

but later as a less expensive option.

但後來價格變得較便宜而普及

And while today's mass produced cover illustrations are marketing tools,

今天大量生產封面插畫 用作市場推廣

the cover designs of early books were made to order.

而早期書籍的封面設計則是訂製的

Even spines have a history.

書脊亦有歷史

Initially, they were not considered aesthetically important,

最初無人重視書脊美醜

and the earliest ones were flat, rather than rounded.

最早的書脊是扁平而非圓拱的

The flat form made the books easier to read

扁平的形狀使書本更易閱讀

by allowing the book to rest easily on a table.

讓書本輕易平放在枱上

But those spines were damaged easily from the stresses of normal use.

但扁平的書脊 容易因為日常翻閱加壓而損壞

A rounded form solved that issue,

圓拱形則解決了這問題

although new problems arose,

但新問題浮現

like having the book close in on itself.

例如書本會自己合上

But flexibility was more important,

但書本柔韌耐用更重要， 特別對於帶書四處走動的讀者

especially for the on-the-go reader.

As the book evolves and we replace bound texts

書歷經演變，現在平面螢幕 和電子墨水漸漸取代裝訂的書本

with flat screens and electronic ink,

are these objects and files really books?

但這些物件、檔案是書嗎？

Does the feel of the cover

封面的觸感或書頁的氣味 是構成閱讀經驗的關鍵之一嗎？

or the smell of the paper add something crucial to the experience?

Or does the magic live only within the words,

或是書之為書的魔法只在字裡行間

no matter what their presentation?

而無關形式？

翻譯：Crystal Yip