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I was at a book fair in Boston and saw a 200 year old binding fall apart in someone's hands.
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river_dixon18d ago
That's the saddest magic trick I've ever heard. Pull a book off the shelf and it turns into confetti. Guess 200 years is the warranty on old paper and glue. Should have kept it behind glass with a "do not touch" sign the size of a poster. Bet the person holding it wanted to melt into the floor right then and there.
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theas2818d ago
Wanted to melt into the floor" is putting it lightly. But it makes me wonder, who even decides what gets handled and what stays behind glass? Like, was that book just sitting there waiting for this to happen because someone messed up the rules, or was it a total accident no one saw coming? Feels like there's a bigger story about how we treat old stuff. Do we risk losing it by letting people touch history, or lose the meaning by locking it all away forever? That book turning to dust is the worst possible answer to that question.
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