Getting closer. . .

"...the much more likely future of books in which they are prized as artifacts, not as mechanisms for delivering written material to readers. This is print book as vinyl record — admired for its look and feel, its cover art, and relative permanence — but not so much for convenience."

This is kind of what I was getting at, but written by someone who clearly does not "get it." It's about the look and feel, it's about the cover art and the permanence AND it's not inconvenient, but it's still a wonderful "mechanism" and the book remains far more than an "artifact."

Also, hello. The linked article is yet another ridiculous instance of pressing one medium into another to the detriment of, well, everything. Ever.