Great post. Makes me think of a quote I just read in a great book on American book cover design, “By Its Cover” by Ned Drew & Paul Sternberger (Princeton Architectural Press, 2005):

“But there is something special about the mass-produced book as an object— it is more than just a presentation of the ideas of an author. When a text is published and the book is designed and printed, it becomes a physical manifestation not just of the ideas of the author, but of the cultural ideals and aesthetics of a distinct historical moment. Should the physical book endure the onslaught of virtual forms of information, it will likely be its very materiality that facilitates its survival.”

Love that word: “materiality…”