No matter whether they are made of paper, plastic, or linen, brand-new or used, beautiful or ugly, these bags are all testimonies of a literary culture that, at the beginning of the 21st century, has been increasingly under pressure. Items like these, which most people carelessly discard and even the manufacturers have never kept, are of great interest for an archaeology of the present. The book bags are a reminder of long-lost book dealers and publishers and illustrate the transition from the analogue to the digital age, while the switch from plastic to fabric also reflects the shift towards a sustainability-conscious society. Last but not least, they are marvellous testimonies to design development and product advertising.

Book bags with their imprints have consequently turned out to be a barometer of the state of an entire industry. Originally produced as consumables, it is only with the passage of time that they have acquired the status of items of cultural heritage that can be trusted to make general statements about historical developments.

The collection is accompanied by a publication:
Mark Lehmstedt: Buchtüten. Werbung für das Buch, Leipzig: Lehmstedt Verlag, 2021. 120 Seiten mit 580 farbigen Abbildungen, ISBN 978-3-95797-125-8

Photo: DNB, Christine Hartmann

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Book bag with a quote from Marcel Reich-Ranicki "Literature knows only two themes: Love and death. The rest is rubbish!"

Pagination

: Book bag of the mail order bookshop artbooks online …