Portable magic

The book "Carried Magic: The History of Books and Their Readers" by author Emma Smith offers a new and innovative perspective on the relationship between humans and books, not only in terms of their content but also in terms of their materiality and tangible form, which the author calls "bookhood." Smith in this work reviews how the physical shape of the book has influenced its readers throughout history, showcasing unique examples such as a book made from cheese slices, a book containing a hidden pistol, and others used as promotional tools or even as means of resistance. The author also discusses concepts such as "bibliomania" (obsession with collecting books) and "biblioqulazm" (book vandalism), and explores how books are not just media for transmitting knowledge but interactive tools that influence and are influenced by the reader. The book is a tribute to the book as a physical entity, highlighting how our relationship with books goes beyond reading to include the senses, memories, and personal experiences. Emma Smith narrates the fascinating and astonishing story of the book across ages, nations, ideologies, and cultures in unpredictable ways, until this enchanting mythical creature reached our hands. Is it perhaps its physical form that endowed it with its unique and dangerous magic, which Stephen King described as a kind of portable magic? The magic that leads us to a paradise of knowledge in a unique and innovative way?