Wise words ...

... On the ropes? Robert Darnton's Case for Books. (Hat tip, Dave Lull.)

Today, however, we have the means to make that utopia a reality. In many societies, despite enormous inequalities, ordinary people not only read but have access to a huge quantity of reading matter through the Internet. I would not minimize the digital divide, which separates the computerized world from the rest, nor would I underestimate the importance of traditional books. But the future is digital. And I believe that if we can resolve the current challenges facing books in ways that favor ordinary citizens, we can create a digital republic of letters. Much of my book is devoted to this premise and can be summarized in two words: digitize and democratize.

What is a book? It is a storage device. The form it takes has changed from time to time, from illuminated manuscripts to printed texts to ebooks.