First published 2012
Small prophets whisper that paper will vanish. They celebrate the book's demise, believing this frees them from reading. They proclaim the arrival of an all-digital age and its transformation. But prophecy exists far from reality. Robert Darnton draws comparisons between electronic communication tools and the power Gutenberg unleashed over five centuries ago. He measures the anthropological effects on reading habits. He weighs the mutual benefits connecting libraries and the Internet. The author examines numerous practical problems that are fundamentally cultural. Why maintain printed book purchases while expanding digital collections that younger generations now prefer? How can digital monographs gain legitimacy among traditionalists who believe books exist only in printed form? Through what paradox does the library, seemingly the most outdated institution, serve as the ideal bridge between print and digital communication due to its central position in the knowledge world? Readers discover how books shape worldly material, how transmission processes alter texts themselves, and why paper cannot be entirely replaced by digital files.
Genres: non-fiction, communication, books-about-books, academic, cultural-studies
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: academic, cultural-commentary
Period: 21st-Century
320 pages · Mass Market Paperback · Folio