Books That Belong On Paper first appeared on the web as Wink Books and was edited by Carla Sinclair. Sign up here to get the issues a week early in your inbox.

A CATALOG OF INDIAN STYLE AND DESIGN

Sar: The Essence of Indian Design
by Swapnaa Tamhane and Rashmi Varma
Phaidon Press
2016, 304 pages, 8.2 x 1.0 x 10.6 inches, Hardcover

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Look, it’s Indian design! Everyone has heard of Japanese and Scandinavian design, but few know that India also has a long history of design. It doesn’t permeate the culture as deep as Japan or Scandinavia, but I know from living there that India does have a critical mass of distinctly unique objects. To help pin down the essentials of that style, this catalog of India design examples makes a case that there is a very functional design approach both in historic and modern India. This is the first book I know of that presents that style in one place.

– Kevin Kelly

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SYMMETRY – UTOPIAS ARE NEVER PERFECT, ARE THEY?

Symmetry Volume 1
by Matt Hawkins
Image Comics
2016, 128 pages, 6.5 x 9.9 x 0.6 inches (softcover)

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Utopias are never perfect, are they? Symmetry offers some good heady sci-fi in the vein of 1984, Ender’s Game, Equilibrium, or Fahrenheit 451. Imagine a world where humans are coddled and raised by machines, think Wall-E, but people haven’t become total blobs. Gender and identity are decided by the individual when they turn thirteen. And all races have been separated, so that most people will grow up not even realizing that other nationalities exist. Then one day a solar flare causes the machines to shut down and the wall between nations to break.

What follows is a great story that seems very relevant in today’s world. I think Symmetry does what sci-fi does best, it makes you think about what’s happening around you and where things might go if we aren’t careful. It’s clear that the creators spent a good deal of time thinking through these issues, and how the world in their book works. There’s actually a pretty lengthy sociological write-up included that dives further into some of the ideas that helped shape the story.

Volume 1 is satisfying, but definitely leaves you wanting more. The cel-shaded illustration feels like something out of a video game, which actually matches the story perfectly. Thankfully, Volume 2 is due out in December, so we’ll get to explore more of this world. Get caught up. – JP LeRoux

02/18/25