Hard Copy: An Appreciation

Words on the page of the novel, the well-printed book, first of all the page itself, looking closely, very closely, the off-white crystalline surface, light and shadow paper texture, then the individual letters, the black shape, the sharp edge, dense black, its soft sheen, and most of all the impressions, the slight indentations of printing on the page – hammer on anvil, striking, sounding, chiming as I read.