The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age

Book review by Deane Barker • • tags: books •
An image of the cover of the book "The Gutenberg Elegies: The Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age"

This was written in 1994, just when the web and hypertext were showing up. The author is concerned about a diminishing ability of students to read long-form, static text. In addition to hypertext, he points to DVD and audiobooks.

Clearly, his perspective would be wildly different now. ebooks didn’t kill physical books, and lots of people read more now than they ever did before.

But I did enjoy his meditations on the importance of reading. He approaches it from a quasi-spiritual angle which I appreciated. And part of me just loves a good Luddite rant.

He never gets combative, more melancholy and regretful, and sometimes even misguided sadness helps us recognize what’s important and beautiful.

Book Info

Author
Sven Birkerts
Year
Pages
272
Acquired
  • I have read this book. According to my records, I completed it on .
  • A softcover copy of this book is currently in my home library.
Links to this – Elegiac October 30, 2021

It’s a form of “elegy,” which is “a poem of serious reflection, usually a lament for the dead.”

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