Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK.
Multisens Res. 2020 Sep 15;33(8):902-928. doi: 10.1163/22134808-bja10015.
The failure of e-books to take over from the traditional print format, as was so confidently predicted would happen only a few years ago, highlights how there is more to reading than merely the content of what we see. In fact, like any other object, the experience of interacting with a book, especially an old or historic volume, offers the reader the potential for a multisensory encounter. One that involves not only what the book looks and feels like, both the weight of the volume and the feel of the pages, but also the distinctive smell. In fact, one might also want to consider the particular sound made by the pages as they are turned over. However, it is the smell of older, and seemingly more olfactorily-redolent, works that appears to be especially effective at triggering nostalgic associations amongst readers. It is therefore only by understanding the multisensory nature of handling books, as stressed by this review, that one can really hope to fully appreciate the enduring appeal of the traditional format in the modern digital era. Several recent exhibitions that have attempted to engage their visitors by means of exploring the multisensory appeal of historic books or manuscripts in their collections are briefly discussed. While the multisensory mental imagery that is typically evoked by reading is unlikely to differ much between the print and e-book formats, there is nevertheless still some evidence to suggest that physical books can occasionally convey information more effectively than their digital counterparts.
电子书未能像几年前人们曾如此自信地预测的那样，取代传统印刷格式，这突显出阅读不仅仅是内容的问题。事实上，就像任何其他物体一样，与书籍互动的体验，尤其是与旧书或历史文献互动的体验，为读者提供了一种多感官的体验。这种体验不仅包括书的外观和感觉，如书的重量和书页的触感，还包括独特的气味。事实上，人们可能还会考虑到翻阅书页时发出的特定声音。然而，正是旧书、更具嗅觉刺激性的书所散发的气味，似乎特别有效地引发了读者的怀旧联想。因此，只有通过理解处理书籍的多感官特性，正如这篇综述所强调的那样，才能真正希望在现代数字时代充分欣赏传统格式的持久吸引力。本文简要讨论了一些近期的展览，这些展览试图通过探索其馆藏中的历史书籍或手稿的多感官吸引力来吸引参观者。虽然阅读时通常会引起的多感官心理意象在印刷书籍和电子书格式之间可能不会有太大差异，但仍有一些证据表明，纸质书籍有时可以比数字书籍更有效地传达信息。
