Manguel pages 125-223

It’s interesting how just the shape of a book influences a reader’s perception of the book and his reading experience; I never really thought about that. Teachers have traditionally told their students to not judge a book by its cover, so it’s ironic how Manguel just blankly states on the first page of this section that he does judge a book by its cover. Manguel makes an interesting point on the following page that just making the book larger could, from the reader’s perspective, add authority to it. He says that, “A book of laws [the Middle Assyrian Code of Laws] in such a large format surely added, in the eyes of the Mesopotamian reader, to the authority of the laws themselves” (Manguel 126). If I were living back then in ancient Mesopotamia and saw some huge book, I would also be impressed with its size. This is just one way how the physical characteristics of a book can affect the reader’s perception. After reading on the next page about how it was far more difficult to make commentaries on papyrus, I felt thankful that our society uses paper. I can’t imagine having little space with which to make comments on; when I read, I am constantly adding marginalia because it helps me remember important points or things that stood out to me.

There is an interesting paradox on page 154 about how reading in bed both opens and closes the world around us. Reading in bed closes the world around the reader because there’s a special sense of privacy in bed, so he’s “invisible to the world,” as Manguel puts it (153). Moreover, the reader is all absorbed in what’s happening in the book, so he’s not really aware of what’s happening around him. At the same time, reading in bed opens the world around the reader because, in this relaxed state, he’s more amenable to learning something outside of his current knowledge base, so the mind is open to new ideas and thoughts, leading to the brain absorbing what it’s reading. In the final analysis, reading is not just a visual experience. It encompasses touch and the emotions of the reader, as well.