The Book As

An Introduction to Recto/Verso

In this section, we will be exploring the affordances of the book through instances of recto/verso in artist’s books.

 Recto/verso refers to the two sides of the pages within a book – the right side and its reverse. This quality of the codex and perhaps other book forms makes way for the phenomenal experience of reading as one interacts with the pages.

Some questions to keep in mind throughout the pathways include:

            How does this physical property of the book enable a phenomenal experience? What is the relationship of the recto/verso form to the function of the book?

            What other non-book forms exhibit this quality? Is there a similar effect on the interactor’s experience with them?

            In the era of technology, does this quality of the book remain relevant? Why do things like eBooks demonstrate this quality? Do eBooks with skeuomorphic recto/verso qualities have the same effect on the reader?

            Is the recto/verso form essential to the reading experience? (qualities like tangibility, anticipation, and being interactive)
 

This page has paths:

This page references: