Much ink has been spilled lamenting or championing the decline of printed books. The author shows that the rich history of reading itself offers unexpected clues to what lies in store for books. From medieval manuscript books to today's interactive urban fictions, he explores the manifold ways that physical media have shaped how we read. "Compelling.... Andrew Piper shows the apparent internet revolution as being a continuum of book culture." (Financial Times) "This series of enlightening meditations on the experience and history of reading reveals what we are poised to gain and to lose with the advent of e-readers and related digital media.... Andrew Piper does a fine job of uncovering the metaphors on which the rationality and logic of reading rest.... A fascinating glance at the page as it was, as it is, and as it might yet be." (Publishers Weekly)" Zusammenfassung Much ink has been spilled lamenting or championing the decline of printed books. The author shows that the rich history of reading itself offers unexpected clues to what lies in store for books. From medieval manuscript books to today's interactive urban fictions! he explores the manifold ways that physical media have shaped how we read.

Autorentext

Andrew Piper teaches German and European literature at McGill University and is the author of "Dreaming in Books," also published by the University of Chicago Press.