Amid the ongoing dirge for businesses the internet has decimated, books occupy a special place. From the parchments of the ancient Greeks to the Gutenberg Bible to the worldwide spread of lending libraries, books were arguably one of the primary engines of civilization's growth, spreading knowledge and delight to humanity.
So laments about their decline resonate deeper than the nostalgic regrets inspired by, say, the demolition of a beloved local sports stadium. The number of paper-bound books bought has tumbled over the past decade as bookstores have closed down. Robert Gleason, executive editor of Tor Books, last month stood in the middle of Book Expo America, the largest U.S. book fair, and remarked, "This used to be so much more crowded."
