Producing a Book

Fellow readers, have you seen this incredibly intriguing book produced by J. J. Abrams? Yes, it is produced, not authored by him. "S" is a mystery novel written by Doug Dorst. Here's a quick breakdown of it:

"S" looks like a really old copy of Ships of Theseus (Dorst wrote Ships of Theseus, it wasn't just an existing story used as a template, so it's like a fictive fiction.)

Then Dorst wrote marginalia throughout the entire book, complete with different underlining, notes, as well as scrap newspaper, post-cards, etc.

This is all subsequently "produced" by J. J. Abrams into what is a breathtaking design feat. I looked at a copy the other day and it is aesthetically beautiful. Moreover, it's intellectually stimulating, because you're considering the dialogue beyond the text.

It's a little pricey, but I'm pretty sure it's worth it. I'm so excited to eventually get my hands on it.

Photo from this great New Yorker interview with Abrams and Dorst.