Books within books…
Books in bookcases that you tilt to open secret rooms, books with weapons or drugs inside, books that contain secret codes—these are ways books appear in genre fiction plots. A Bible or Koran in a religious character’s study, Kama Sutra or Marquis de Sade’s Justine in a sexual predator’s lair, or Josemaria Esciva’s work for a religious fanatic—these are more examples of books that might be found mentioned in a novel.
One reason I loved the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentleman was that it had many literary references. Books within a book can make that book better too. Even a house that has a library or study with many books is a positive, and stories like Shadows of the Wind turn me on.
Something comes to mind, though. I save my sagging bookshelves now by reading mostly ebooks. Those “books within a book” examples can apply to ebooks too, of course—in fact, you might find code hidden in an ebook easier than in a print version. But why bother? Have you ever looked at the “Documents” folder on your Kindle? Most people don’t, and spies might not even think of looking there!
And I’ve never seen an e-Bible or e-Koran. Why not? Maybe they exist. Dunno. I’d probably have them on my laptop, though, so I could refer to them when I’m writing. I took the quotes in Son of Thunder from an old print Bible on my bookshelf (I only had to refer to St. John’s gospel, of course).
“Books within a book” is a phrase that covers a wide gamut, of course, because authors use books as props in many ways. Their might be less of them as time passes, though. But I thought LPs would disappear from books too. They won’t, because they’re still popular. And that’s the point. Print books are still popular.
Some of this popularity is due to Big Five policies where the e-book version is offered at a reduced price if the reader buys the print version, sort of a lame BOGO in my mind’s eye. There are plenty of readers who want to read print versions and eschew ebook versions. That preference is doomed. For one thing, it’s bad for the environment. For another, print versions don’t last. Any librarian will tell you that. I’ve donated new versions for dog-eared ones with torn covers at our local library, but that tactic has limitations. The Midas Bomb has a second edition that has both print and ebook formats, but other second editions are only in ebook formats. Hopefully the acquisitions librarian considers buying ebook versions—I offer them at a reduced price for libraries on Smashwords!
I think print versions will go the way of the dinosaurs for many reasons. Books might disappear altogether with the onslaught of video games, streaming video, and VR total immersions. But if books have any staying power, it will be via ebooks loaded onto those tiny computers we call smart phones—maybe with sound, odors, and video clips included? Those phones are getting bigger, and Samsung offers one that folds. Maybe for coffee table books?
I’ll never know how it all turns out, of course. I won’t care about tech when I’m dead. I’m not sure I care much about it now!
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Comments are always welcome.
“Mary Jo Melendez Mysteries.” Ex-USN Master-at-Arms Mary Jo has had a harried life. In Muddlin’ Through, she takes a security job at a NJ firm and is framed for her sister and brother-in-law’s murder by a secret US agency when Russian agents steal the MECHs (“Mechanically Enhanced Cybernetic Humans”). In Silicon Slummin’…and Just Gettin’ By, she not only has US and Russian agents again to contend with in her new CA security job, but also a stalker. And in Goin’ the Extra Mile, China steps in to pursue the MECHs, kidnapping Mary Jo’s husband and children to find out where they are. These three novels of heart-pounding action typify what I mean by “evergreen books”—novels that are as fresh and current as the day they were published, if not more so. Available in .mobi (Kindle) format on Amazon, and in all ebook formats on Smashwords and its affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) and library and lending services (Scribd, Overdrive, Baker & Taylor, Gardners, etc.). Come and meet the MECHs!
Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!
