I’m no different than you. When I go to the movies, I don’t like to sit through thirty minutes of coming attractions before getting to the film I actually came to see. It’s the same with DVDs, where one or two trailers are kind of fun but eight or ten are just plain annoying. Still, I do like trailers as a genre, in the same way I really enjoy a well-crafted television commercial. They’re art forms all their own. When done right, they can be easily as entertaining (if not as fulfilling) as longer works.

I also enjoy trailers and commercials for books, like this one for Douglas Clegg’s The Attraction:

Part of my enjoyment comes from the trailers themselves, part from the little thrill of seeing books elevated, however briefly, to the status of films, TV programs and laundry detergent. When you see one of these little gems, or flip on the TV and catch a commercial for the latest paperback bestseller, it almost makes you feel that reading has once again become a mainstream activity. Sure, it may be just an illusion, but it’s fun while it lasts.

While you can find lots of book trailers on sites like YouTube, and scattered around other places on the Web, I wish someone would create a central repository. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of places to find movie trailers, sites like this one and this one and even this one. But I’ve never seen anything similar for clips and commercials and trailers based on books. Is there one? Have I missed it? If you know of something, please let me know.

Oh, and if the Doug Clegg trailer caught your interest, be sure to check out the book itself. Also, you can find more information about Doug and his work, sign up for his newsletter, and find free goodies and other fun stuff at his very cool Web site.