R.I.P. Mr. Book?
“Every generation rewrites the book’s epitaph” – Leah Price
I was struck, while reading chapter one in Bolter’s Writing Space, with the number of statements predicting the end of the book. I was particularly amused by famed author E. Annie Proulx’s claim that “no one is going to read a novel on a twitchy little screen. Ever.” (Bolter 5) She could not have been more wrong as according to recent estimates by Forbes magazine, “20 million Kindle readers were sold in 2013.” (Forbes.com) This is simply one type of e-reader and it is safe to assume that there are millions more out there as well.
While I was contemplating this farcical prediction, I decided to see if the death of the book was imminent. A great New York Times Article entitled “Dead Again” focuses on the fact that the death of the book has been predicted over and over again since, well, the birth of the book. The book has lasted hundreds of years and I doubt that it will simply go away.
As Bolter points out, “there is a challenge to print as a technology for delivering alphabetic text” (6), but that does not mean that the book is going away completely. Yes brick and mortar bookstores are closing every year (see “Barnes & Noble is in trouble, but bookstores aren’t doomed just yet”) but is that because Amazon can deliver that book cheaper or is it that people are just not reading books as much anymore?
I agree with Bolter when he says, “for most of us today, the printed book remains the embodiment of text. Both as authors and readers, we still regard books and journals as a place to locate our most prestigious texts” (3). It is certainly true that many students in today’s classroom opt for the computer first when researching (i.e. databases, “Google” etc.), but there is still immense value in the printed book. This is the main reason why I believe that books will not disappear any time soon.
Another point that was made by Bolter that I do not necessarily agree with is when he states, “few publishers would accept a book that combined two vastly different subject matters” (10). I think that the sales figures for such novels as Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunters and Pride and Prejudice and Zombies would prove otherwise. Mashups and reimagining previous texts are all the rage these days.
In the end, although technology may appear to be surpassing the need for the physically printed book, the death of the book has been greatly over estimated and exaggerated. As Price points out in “Dead Again”, every generation rewrites the book’s epitaph. It’s now our generation and turn to do so, but will it come true? Only time will tell if the book perishes or survives the digital age. My guess is that the book will be just fine as it has survived every other subsequent attempt to eliminate its necessity.
Works Cited
Bolter, J. David. “Introduction: Writing in the Late Age of Print.” Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. New York: Routledge, 2011. N. pag. Print.
“Estimating Kindle E-Book Sales For Amazon.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 30 June 2015.
Plumer, Brad. “Barnes & Noble Is in Trouble, but Bookstores Aren’t Doomed Just Yet.” Washington Post. The Washington Post, 28 Feb. 2013. Web. 30 June 2015.
Price, Leah. “Dead Again.” The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 Aug. 2012. Web. 30 June 2015.
Savage, Doug. The Death of Books. Digital image. Savage Chickens. N.p., 13 Feb. 2012. Web. 30 June 2015.
Nicely put Jody,
When Bolten mentioned, “for most of us today, the printed book remains the embodiment of text.” (Bolter, 2001). I couldn’t agree more. Especially in my district where Wi-Fi is still banned and our Ubuntu systems crash more often than Donald Trump makes inappropriate tweets!
Students in our class are forced to rely on text, but surprisingly also prefer it for the most part (except to make Scratch projects). So whether students are deprived of electronic options or not, with books, you can take them into the park and begin some interesting explorations. We could debate the pros and cons of each medium for hours.
Discussion on the death of books reminds me of the death of the voicemail article I read on CBC a while back. The death of voice mail is coming – American bank JP Morgan is getting rid of voice mail. Is it the beginning of the end? (CBC, 2015). The imminent death of anything provides a hot selling point (Blackberry, Greece’s Finances, Nokia, Public Education).
In a world that pushes technology first, I still see the value of printed books alongside digital forms. Time will tell how our world adjusts in this transition time. The digital realm is something that threatens not books but many industries including the music (Spotify), cars (Tesla) and now energy (Tesla Powerwall).
Thanks for mentioning those points!
:::: Matt
Bolter, J. David. (2001). Introduction: Writing in the Late Age of Print. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. New York: Routledge.
Miller, P. Debate rages as Spotify, MOG, and Rdio kill / save the music industry | The Verge. (2012.). Retrieved from http://www.theverge.com/2012/1/26/2740981/debate-spotify-mog-rdio-kill-save-music-industry
The death of voice mail is coming: MIT professor – Saskatoon – CBC News. (June, 2015). Retrieved from http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatoon/the-death-of-voice-mail-is-coming-mit-professor-1.3101153
Seabrook, J. (2014). Spotify: Friend or Foe? – The New Yorker. Retrieved from http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2014/11/24/revenue-streams
Thanks for your reply. I think one thing we have to remember is that the ideas and words (music etc.) will still exist. It is just the way we view, listen, read and so forth that is changing (i.e. technology). I mean, can you imagine if we were still using grammophones to listen to music? Or 8-track tapes? I have an ottoman full of cds that would all fit onto a single iPod…
Hello Jody.
I have to agree with you about the safety of the book as a medium. I consider myself a bibliophile and I have an extensive and growing collection of books. I visit the used book store every weekend. I love first editions and hardbound copies with a ribbon for a bookmark. I have a copy of Walden that is over a hundred years old. I have the complete works of Shakespeare in eighteen hard-cover volumes all embossed with an image of the bard himself. I have numerous translations of the Tao Te Ching. I guess you could say I am a collector. I believe the book will live on as an item to collect no matter what paradigm takes over in the world of text.
I received my first degree in 2005. At that time I would begin research by prowling the school library and taking out a couple dozen texts. My room would be a sea of sticky-noted tomes until I put the final touches on a paper. Now I don’t go to the library at all. I imagine that others have a similar experience. I don’t like to read off “a twitchy little screen” but the sheer convenience of digital forms of literature dictates my academic preferences.
I hope I am not simply jumping on the crowded bandwagon of near-sighted book eulogizers when I say that this time is different. E-readers are more convenient. There is little nostalgia for the tactile aesthetic of the book from new generations that has been raised on the screen. Journals are publishing on-line in unprecedented numbers. Even market forces are persuading would-be authors to publish on-line. If there was ever was a time for the death of the book, we would surely be most able to carry on nowadays, right? But then, isn’t that what they all have said? I hope you are right.
Thank you for your post.
Hi. I think the book will be just fine. There will always be a place for it as long as people still want them. Just because the bookstore closed doesn’t mean people aren’t buying books anymore. I almost never buy in a bookstore because it is almost always cheaper online! I’m all about the savings!
I think the technology of e-readers and ebooks is really the problem for a full transition from the paper book. Those “twitchy” screens do seem to be a serious problem but Amazon seems to have done a good job of improving the readability of ebooks thought their electronic ink technology. (Although, there are problems with lighting.)
The major problem I see with ebooks is reference. I know a lot of people really favour the search function in ebooks as a way of searching for a concept. Although useful, I’m not sure how it is that much more useful than an index in a paper book. What really bothers me is that I can’t flip through the book to find a key piece of information. When a reader flips through a book, it’s like zooming out from a map. He or she can see the larger picture and how the pieces connect. This is something I feel is lost in ebooks because they do not present themselves with this unity.
Similarly, annotation is an issue. Although it is possible to annotate in .pdf or ebook, it’s far more time consuming and often more difficult to access. So, my assumption is that bibliophiles often do not take the time to annotate in ebooks as much or at all. I recently had this issue while marking assignments submitted to me. I try to give rich descriptive feedback in comments when I read student work. However, digital mark up is much more time consuming. It is also not likely to be seen by students because it isn’t as visible as a hard copy with feedback. As such, annotation seems to pose a problem for some readers (especially those of non-fiction).
Ebooks though are far more portable and are now cheaper than their physical counterparts. Although I may be disparaging the ebook, I often read from my phone or Ipad on the bus or plane because of it is more convenient. Ebooks seem to be best for narrative works or other very linear forms of writing. In my experience, Fiction or light reading work really well because there’s no flipping back to previous pages. In contrast, reading philosophy like Kant or Derrida in an ebook would be a nightmare.
Once we can create e-reading that can better give a reader that larger scope and access, as well as allow for smoother annotation, paper books might only be objects of nostalgia. However, our ebook technology as it is today limits rather than expands the range of reading experiences.
Bolter, J. David. “Introduction: Writing in the Late Age of Print.” Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. New York: Routledge, 2011. Print.
“Estimating Kindle E-Book Sales For Amazon.” Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 4 Feb. 2014. Web. 1 July 2015.
For me, I actually like marking student’s work digitally, but the platform I’m using is Turnitin.com. On there, the annotations and comments are easy to make and there is an ability to make a comment bank. It’s drag and drop and editable. I like it very much. I use it on word documents as well and I don’t find it any more time consuming. I actually prefer it. Then again, I’ve also worked for an online virtual high school since 2009 and this is the only way to do the marking.
Jody,
I really enjoyed reading your post since we both seemed to take a similar stance regarding the book. I was a little hesitant to suggest that the book, as we know it, will continue to survive through this current technical revolution. As you suggested, however, this is not the first time the death of the book has been discussed and it certainly won’t be the last. It seems that the book will find a place in society as technology continues to grow.
I was interested to read the article in a comment posted by Matthew regarding the death of the voicemail. I believe he’s correct when he suggests that the imminent threat of anything is a hot selling point. It also creates debates on topics that people may or may not consider in their daily lives. I, for one, rarely use voicemail on my phone and it seems terrible but I don’t check it that often. I either communicate through texting or calling someone and that form of communication works for me. This being said, I don’t believe, in my humble opinion, that the death of the voicemail will draw as much reaction as the potential death of the book.
I’m glad that you said guessed the book will be just fine as that is my hope as well. I do believe, as I mentioned in my post, that it may change with the times. Books, however, are still very prevalent in our society and I can’t see them going anywhere anytime soon.
If they have survived this long, I’m sure they have lots of life left in them 🙂
While doing research for my documentary, I came across this other article that talks about how each new media form seemed to be the ‘death knell’ for the one that preceded it.
A very interesting read:
http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2010/02/dont_touch_that_dial.html
Excellent post Jody!!!!!
It’s quite fascinating and interesting to see the increase in EBooks, no doubt this allow readers materials at their fingertips. One could also argue that with the technology there are mores sources available versus in a library setting, on any given device one could access various books at their own convenience. This point was supported by Bolter when he argued that “it now seems possible that many text might never be printed but simply distributed in digital form. The internet and the World Wide Web have already expanded enormously the uses for digital communication, there are websites offering us Greek literature, Avant garde, fictional articles from medical journals, online magazines”.
Notwithstanding this, I do believe there is still a place for books, and one cannot discount the role it played in literacy and education. Bolter pointed out that” just as the late capitalism is still vigorous, so are books and other printed materials in the late age of print are still common and enjoy considerable prestige for humanities and some social sciences”. This is a very important observation where technology and traditional books are concerned, many persons still prefer books over the various Ebooks and technology resources. It could be argued that with books there is a connection with the reader and author, readers would possess collection from their favorite authors. In some cases persons would rush to bookstores to pick up their copy and would attend book signing which allowed some level of interaction thus developing relationships.
Bolter, J. David. (2001). Introduction: Writing in the Late Age of Print. Writing Space: Computers, Hypertext, and the History of Writing. New York: Routledge.
Like I stated above in some other comments, I really don’t think the book is going anywhere anytime soon. There is a place for both digital and traditional books. I really do think that part of the problem is the way we access/sell/buy books and that the real issue is in the retail industry and the encroachment of online retailers. I wanted to buy The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks. It was 50% off online but full price in the store. Um hello! Needless to say, I bought it online!
This is a great post Jody! It made me wonder if the type of books printed will be what changes? Do we need to continue to print information books, which our libraries hold numbers of, but are all outdated, or will the world turn to focusing on picture books and fiction, that people want to be able to pick up and carry around with them? I am curious how books will change, although agree with you, that it is very unlikely that they disappear altogether!
I also feel that the issue with ebooks being associated with low quality screens is an issue from the past. Lighting isn’t really a comparable problem, books don’t light up, and there are new options in ereaders to have a quality light up screen built in. I don’t think the printed book will die, instead I think it will end up becoming a premium product. Similar in the way vinyl records for albums can still be purchased for nostalgic listening. Yes audio is very different from the printed word, but the distribution models share some similarities. Perhaps with printed literature, the physical printed copy of a book will be print by request. A printed copy of the book is only printed when you order it, for those books you really like, or would prefer to have a physical copy. This eliminates unsold copies, e-friendly, keeps the option of owning a printed copy of the text you are interested in owning. Text books still have a way to go to full support all the graphics and images, compared to novels with mostly text.