Photograph from the A Book, an Axis collection

“A book is not an isolated being:
it is a relationship,
an axis of innumerable relationships.”

Jorge Luis Borges

This is a forum to study, share, and discuss books that I love from my growing library.

I truly believe books are most compelling when they’re enjoyed collectively. In the past, I tried documenting my collection through a photo blog (I’m showing my age), but I was never fully satisfied with the results which felt stilted and fixed. Instead, A Book, an Axis relies on video as the primary method for documentation. This allows me to capture the time-based quality of reading a book, including the subtle ways the materials react to being handled.

The books I collect vary greatly by subject but are unified by a guiding principle that they have to be well designed. The layout, typesetting, materials and printing must all have a sensibility that resonates with me. And my videos will highlight both the content of the book as well as what I believe makes it beautiful.

I hope to create a space online that is still reserved for a slower, more careful approach to video making. I have no interest in virality or monetization and I’m concerned these goals could distort the content and form I have in mind for this channel.

Furthermore, I’m worried those algorithm-optimized characteristics tend to have negative impact on people’s wellbeing at scale. Because of this, I accept my audience will always remain small. I just hope my work finds its way to a few people who would enjoy this sort of thing.

.m