The Aesthetics of Reading

Rob Walker—author of Buying In, one of the best marketing/business books of the past few years—just found a listing on Etsy for a hardcover copy of Buying In that “has been sealed and cut by hand to fit Amazon’s Kindle 6” Wireless Reading Device.”

Seriously. Here’s the full listing:

Love your Kindle but miss the feel of holding a real book?

Do you get a kick out of seeing objects being used in a way other than their intended purpose?

Then I bet you’ll enjoy carrying your Kindle hidden inside a book.

This hardcover copy of “Buying In” by Rob Walker has been sealed and cut by hand to fit Amazon’s Kindle 6” Wireless Reading Device.

(Please note that the Amazon Kindle seen in the picture is NOT included.)

This is an official Don’t Judge Me# piece.

Granted, this is kind of cool . . . And if it becomes really popular, Rob still gets his royalties . . . but there’s something perverse about having your work carved apart to cloak a Kindle. Although on the other hand, this could be the perfect solution for people who miss the tactile sense of reading a real book, and who want to show off to the world what it is they’re reading . . .