THE SECRET LIFE OF BOOKS
Tom Mole’s The Secret Life of Books: Why They Mean More than Words is out now (Elliott & Thompson, £14.99). Available from all good bookshops.
Books become meaningful objects …
Our books are leading a double life. As well as being containers of words, they are things imbued with their own significance. Their importance goes far beyond the words or images they contain.
Books are part of how we understand ourselves. They shape our identities, even before we can read them. They accompany us throughout our lives – at home, at school, at college and (for some of us, at least) at work. And books are also part of how we relate to other people, from those closest to us to those only distantly connected. They
