By Andrew Liszewski
With all this talk of e-paper, e-readers and e-books it’s nice to see that traditional paper volumes are finding new ways to stay useful.
DuraBooks were developed by Melcher Media Inc. and instead of paper the books are actually made from plastic resins and inorganic fibres which not only makes them extremely durable but also completely waterproof. If you ever get a chance to test out Sony’s new E-Reader try taking taking it in the shower with you. Odds are the reader (and whoever owns it) won’t be too happy.
While DuraBooks may seem like a novelty product at first when you think about having things like waterproof maps or travel guides the idea actually seems quite good. However there is a downside as DuraBooks are apparently quite a bit heavier than traditional paper versions, which will probably prevent them from catching on.
[Melcher Media DuraBooks] VIA [TreeHugger]
I have stories in Melcher’s flagship Durabook, Aqua Erotica (several editions right now), which Good Vibrations initally displayed in an aquarium. They’re great books, physically very beautiful, tough yet pleasant to touch, and superbly edited.