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| Our ally has taken a blow to the groin. |
As seekers of the written word I believe this news is not a welcome sight, and indeed I find myself somewhat in a state of despair. Any establishment such as this that offers parchment printed with the written word should be seen as an ally to our council, and our cause.
Borders ultimate demise is a forecast of what is to become of the bookstore. Much in the same way that the brick-and-mortar music store has faded away and been replaced by digital online versions; the bookstore too, particularly the book superstore, is becoming extinct. To quote an article from the WSJ:
"Online shopping, and the advent of e-readers, with their promise of any book, any time, anywhere, and cheaper pricing, have shoppers abandoning Borders and Barnes & Nobles bookstores as they did music stores a decade ago."
Consumer habits are clearly shifting. The hunger for parchment is fading. To think otherwise would be lending yourself to foolishness. My question to the group is this: Do we fight this change and become advocates for parchment to our dying breath. Or do we embrace change? Some in our great council have already taken steps towards the e-reader otherwise known as the Kindle. In fact it may shock members absent from the last council meeting to learn that this member, who shall remain nameless, chose to read Oscar's words in pixel form, thus disregarding our great stamp to mark the completion of the book. I say again, is this madness...or is it simply the sound of inevitability....Mr. Anderson.
I wrote a post on this very same topic back on December 19, 2007, entitled "Bastard Child of Parchment?". It makes for some interesting reading. Especially now that we've had over 3 years to witness the rise of the e-reader and e-books.
Reflect fellow members - and then post your comments for the group to read.
Links to articles I read:
4 comments:
Before I respond further, I just wanted to commend the reference to "The Matrix." Well-played. Another quick point is that, while I know the Kindle has infiltrated our once-thought unbreachable council walls, I did think that no matter what we would always stamp our MOP "book," be it 2011 or 2051. Unless, that is, books do go the way of the CD, cassette, 8-track, and record, and the only way to read is via pixels. Interesting note: records are actually making a comeback because they have that undeniable tangible quality. The difference between, say, a CD and a book is that people do not dog-ear a CD or take notes on it, or even pass it down. Books have that edge over the music industry. In fact, while music has evolved over the years, books have, by and large, remained the same since Gutenberg's printing press: black ink on parchment. Besides maybe records (which are, as I say, experiencing a Renaissance), music has never thrived on its tangibility as have books. Maybe this is foolhardy and idealistic, but I think books will put up a much better showing than music industry products.
I agree with you Count. Music comes from pure sound, and was never really meant to be something you held in your hand. The book on the other hand was born as you put it 'a tangible object'.
Very interesting stuff.
I wish i could agree that books will somehow hang on and outlast the trend of tecno change. Music is different, i agree. But i worry it will perhaps set the stage or condition us to evolve from parchment to digital something or other. I'm afraid that the die has been cast; will homes without actual books resemble our homes witout encyclopedias? Does thsi represent a sign of things to come? I fear the power of waves may completly influence newer generations and books will all become antiques. I fear The Parchment may go the way of The Boombox.
I like this thread
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