Writing Out of the Box

On my way home today, I listened to an interview on NPR with Michael Pietsch, the newly named CEO for Hachette Books, who said that he truly believes "we're in a golden age for books." I tend to agree.
Sure there are too many poorly written self-published books out there, e-readers are crowding out print, and bookstores are closing faster than you can spell a-m-a-z-o-n.
But...
Then I arrived home to find a box on the front porch that changed the way I think about books. When was the last time you could say that?
Rewind a bit: I have made it clear that I'm going to read all of the novels on the Tournament of Books starting bracket before March 1. One book was proving elusive, however. I couldn't find it in the library and it wasn't in my local bookstore. And it was expensive. But a goal is a goal.
Now feast your eyes on what arrived (I put the remote there for scale):

Can I just say WOW?!?
It's an amazing (and big) box. And look what it's filled with:

It's Building Stories by Chris Ware.
I don't want to give too much away – I'll do that in my review during the Tournament. Let me just say that telling a story in a brand new way is a tall order. Telling a story in an engaging, inventive, engrossing, and thoroughly entertaining way...that's a whole other thing.
This is what thinking out of the box can do for you. Welcome to the golden age.