37-An Elegy on Books

Bunkobon in Hong Kong

在日本必然會逛書店,尤其是涉獵設計、藝術一類的,可以跨過語言的界線,光是觀賞書店的佈局陳設,觸摸紙張質感,品嘗書籍設計,已彌補心裡久久的缺失。

除了獨立書店,到訪專售二手中古書的傳統書店又是另一番滋味。雖然對日文一竅不通,書架上更擠滿了相對嚴肅的日本文學,依然有種讓人想再逛一下、待久一點的魅力,沉浸在毫不過時的書香裡。假如懂得日文,這豈不是我流連忘返的樂土?我幻想自己順著作者名字的排序,一本本拈來翻開,準有驚喜的發現。

A trip to Japan can never be complete without a visit to the many bookstores; especially those specializing in design and art. It doesn’t really matter whether you speak the language. Simply looking at the interior and decor of the bookstore, feeling the textures of different paper stock, and savoring the various designs of each book — it fills a missing piece of my heart.

Aside from the independent shops selling mostly new books, visiting traditional bookstores that specialize in second-hand books can also be quite an experience. Although I don’t know a word of Japanese, the literature sitting solemnly on the shelves seems to have magical powers that can keep me lingering in the aisles, immersing myself in the world of books. I can’t stop wondering: What if I could read Japanese? These bookstores would be paradise to me! I picture myself flipping through these books one by one in the order of the authors’ name. A journey of discovery awaits.

iknowill37_01

井然有序是書店該有的模樣,日文的書店好像輕易做到了;反過來在一些比較有個性的書店,店主有時刻意營造一種隨性的凌亂感,隨性是隨性了,可一點都不雜亂,我想他們對於把事情弄得亂七八糟始終不太在行。

這些平常的書店就像是實體的書籍保存庫,只要你說出書本或作者的名字,就可以輕易找到你想要的。這不能不說是把書本尺寸統一的功勞,在高度一致平整的書背上簡明看到書、作者和出版社的名字,書與書之間發出相同的頻率,在共同維繫一個宏大的文學世界。

As you might expect from any bookstore, those in Japan are usually neat and tidy. But for some that have a certain character and uniqueness, their owners usually attempt to create a random sense of messiness; And they do look random to me, but not necessarily messy. I reckon they are not such experts in creating chaos after all.

Ordinary as they may seem, these bookstores are comparable to a book archival system. Name a book title or an author and you can instantly find what you are looking for. Thanks to the identical size of all the books, one can clearly view the book titles, authors’ names and publishers all-at-once on a horizontal plane, as if they are on the same wavelength conjuring a grand literary world.

iknowill37_02

眾所周知,日本書籍一般會謹守特定尺寸出版,像「單行本」是128x182mm的B6規格,多為精裝本;「文庫本」是105x148mm的A6規格,即流通率極高的小型袋裝書,而有不少小說是同時以「單行本」及「文庫本」兩種形式出現。總之,漫畫有漫畫的尺寸,雜誌有雜誌的大小,即使每家出版社之間會存在些差異,還是不離其宗。

As we all know, books in Japan are usually published in specific sizes. For example, tankōbon, which comes in B6 size with a measure of 128x182mm, is mostly used for hardcovers. Bunkobon, which is A6 in size with a measure of 105x148mm, are small pocket books that are extremely popular with readers throughout the country. Novels can be printed in both tankōbon and bunkobon formats, while comics and magazines each have their own sizing specifications. There may be some minor differences between each publishing house, but the general rules apply.

iknowill37_03

回看香港,在八、九十年代由博益、明窗等出版社出版的袋裝書也曾盛極一時,正是倣效日本流行的文庫本,只是這些香港袋裝書如今已淪為二手書店乏人問津的過時貨,幸運的話或許會遇到有心人刻意把它們放在同一角落,在凌亂的書架上,一排一致整齊的小本子依然顯得格外醒目,從當時的流行小說、時尚專欄到生活知識百科,從帶有中產氣息的文化寫手、科幻小說家到日本作家,刻劃了當時香港文化知識與大眾潮流相互依存共生的創作黃金年代。

Back in the 1980s and 1990s in Hong Kong, some publishers such as SCMP Book and Ming Chuang took inspiration from Japan’s bunkobon and published pocket books that became big hits in the city. But the trend didn’t last long. These pocket books now sit alone on the shelves in the second-hand bookstores. On a lucky day, a kind visitor to the bookstore might place them together, creating an eye-catching troupe on the otherwise messy bookshelf. Written by the likes of middle-class writers, science-fiction authors and Japanese writers, these pocket books cover a wide range of topics from popular fiction, fashion news,and everyday knowledge. They are the epitome of Hong Kong’s blooming cultural scene in the 80s and 90s.

iknowill37_04

考究這些港版文庫本後來為甚麼開始變得不流行,一來是本地才華橫溢的寫手零落從缺,不論影響力或者市場上也急促萎縮;二來是袋裝書說穿了只是依靠內文承托的細小平裝書,欠缺華麗外衣包裝,在文壇發展不健全的香港一下子便被封面更具設計感的「正常」大小書籍比下去。

Speaking of the short-lived popularity of pocket books in Hong Kong, the lack of talented local writers is definitely a contributing factor. In addition, pocket books are in fact paperbacks in smaller sizes. They  focus more on the content itself rather than the cover design and packaging, making it less appealing than those “normal” sized books with more stylish covers.

iknowill37_05

我個人持的可是相反的意見,在歷史價值因素以外,袋裝書的大小不單是適合穿州過省或作長途旅行時閱讀,它那可被單手握住的實在感甚至是閱讀的最佳手感,像是把文字捧在懷裡,油然生出渴望閱讀的親暱感,是適合在任何場合閱讀的最佳尺寸。而假如文字是精采的話,封面再醜也不礙事了。這該是我在長年歲月裡對於書本的第一個領會。

Personally, I hold the opposite opinion. In addition to the historical factors, pocket books have a size perfect for traveling. Holding the book in one hand is like embracing the text in your arms, giving rise to an urge to read. It is the perfect size that fits for any occasion. My genuine reflection on books is that if the content is good, it doesn’t really matter what the book cover looks like.

iknowill37_06
w