Is the art of reading a book lost?

Café
#1

I enjoy when the day is done, sitting down in my comfy chair, reach up and turn on the reading lamp, feel the weight of a real printed book in my hands. A book already read countless times. There is something about having to lap my finger, that pause to flip the page that I enjoy. But finally, although I don’t want to, am too sleepy, so place my favorite bookmark - the one my Mom made with the yarn through the hole in the top - and go to bed.

My great-grandson has not experienced or learned the beauty and art of just reading a book. And although I have tried to teach him - he too bored. But I imagine in the future he will remember the lost days of the ‘tablet’.

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#2

“A book may lie dormant for fifty years or for two thousand years in a forgotten corner of a library, only to reveal upon being opened, the marvels or the abysses that it contains,or the line that seems to have been written for me alone. In this respect the writer is not different from any other human being: whatever we say or do can have far-reaching consequences.” - Marguerite Yourcenar

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#3

Do you also enjoy the solid feel of a cuneiform tablet? The gentle whinny as your horse pulls your trap to work?

Times change.

We can see the broad outlines happening now. In general, people prefer to consume multi-media forms of entertainment. In the future, there will be few published books. But there will be scripts. Scriptwriters will work with AI programs to quickly generate new content. Then AI, with CGI characters will build new multi-media entertainment on the fly. People will be able to select which versions of a “book” they want. They can see a traditional period drama representation of “Pride and Prejudice”, or a more modern take where Elizabeth doesn’t wait around for Mr. Darcy to take an interest, but instead starts the first Longbourn/Park railroad passenger service, saving people from riding horseback in the rain.

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#4

This is where we’re heading. Jordan Peterson said that writing a book that will be bought/read by a million people will take him two years, plus marketing campaigns.

Producing a Youtube interview that will be watched by millions takes so much less time. He actually said this in a podcast/Youtube interview that has been watched by 1.9 million people since February.

He also quoted Sam Harris saying that the opportunity cost of writing books is too high.

Personally, I don’t read physical books, but I read books on my oversized phone. This also lets me read in the dark (white text on black) without turning on the lights. Reading fiction is a great way for me to relax, and to enjoy adventures in faraway lands. I particularly enjoy epic fantasy, and want the books to be as long as possible, preferrably 1000+ pages.

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#5

In the future, it will not be necessary to burn down libraries in war times or political risings. It will be easy to regulate, who can read, and what they are allowed to read.
A pessimistic view but it is a possibility. History has a way of repeating itself.

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#6

See also https://twitter.com/EikoFried/status/1523596656083537921

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#7

Maybe.

But the sheer physicality of printed books remains ace. (Until holograms work properly ??) :slight_smile:

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TT

#8

Insofar as things one reads exist only online that is a serious possibility.

A comment, TT

#9

That thought is interesting.

Ray Bradbury wrote very intelligently in FAHRENHEIT 451 (the temperature at which books burn) about control through info destruction.

My question: on the net equivalent … what might you call / name that process of info withdrawal / destruction???

Just a query, TT

#10

Books on video: Tiddler The Story Telling Fish with Mrs Cran - YouTube

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#11

Governments can restrict access by regulation - usually giving the excuse of limiting access due to ‘fake or false information’. Tech companies do it as well. Most people are probably for that - but who determines what content should be restricted? and more importantly what prevents abuse of that power?

Been an issue since the printing press was invented. Probably even before.

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#12

I get popups in my browser, just sayin’ :slight_smile:

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#13

In the future, or maybe even in the past…
Amazon already did it in 2009

Fred

#14

That’s a whole other issue. Basically Amazon had sold stolen merchandise. What they should have done is replace the illegal 1984 copies with legitimate versions, even if they had to take a loss.

For the Amazon ebooks, you can download and sideload USB versions of the books. This is somewhat inconvenient since you can’t easily share notes, but the book will be available as long as your device keeps working.

I don’t think the problem going forward will be information loss. There are many ways to protect, encrypt and transfer electronic content. Including USB-powered sneaker-nets. The real problem will be, is, the proliferation of misinformation.

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#15

I find that (for me, at least) e-ink reader are a much better format (weightless, compact, low cost and low eye strain). Plus e-ink color display are becoming better and better, and Apple is rumored to be working on a foldable e-ink display ! IMO books are not going anywhere - even if they are few, people that enjoy the act of reading do exist.

AI is certainly a serious factor to consider, even for audiobooks. A book that is evolving and adjusting to the reactions of its reader would be an awesome experience though.

#16

Likely right. Aren’t we reading here? :smiley: though?

Re your point, I’m just very aware, as an occasional artist of print media, there is something physically magical no computer emulates yet.

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Just saying, TT

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#17

I think that a very good example of current (transitional) usage!

You find it on the net and ideally (i.e. with the money & inclination) you’d get the physical book delivered for your kids to enjoy.

TT

#18

@telumire, in general I find that reading texts on platforms has the hidden agenda of cheap. There is nothing interesting in the loss of physical media other than getting boringly similar at no cost. :slight_smile:

I do understand on-line media are still weak representations of physical reality.

Just a provocation :smiley:
TT

#19

So books are just about the status or prestige they confer? Not about the information content?

As an anthropologist, you must be aware that objects of status change over time. And frequently people choose poorly (see Collapse by Jared Diamond).

I think today you are more likely to display your status/identity by having the latest, expensive iPhone than by having a particular collection of books.

Apparently we are on track to displaying our prestige via invisible things – i.e. NFT’s. We’ll see how that works.

The whole thing about status/class bugs me. For instance, why should it matter what school you go to? Do Oxford or Yale have secret information about say, Chemistry, that you can’t learn at some other, lesser known institution? But I digress.

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#20

Amen! Bugs me too…