The Reading Device

I swear this is not going to become a blog about books. It's just that working in the publishing industry makes me hyper aware of the giant shift that is happening in how people consume the written word right now. Of course, I chose publishing because I love books. I love reading, but I especially love the book as an object. I am constantly reading articles about how books are changing and the effect of the ebook on the written word. However, when I read "From Scroll to Screen" by Lev Grossman this past weekend in the New York Times Book Review I was struck by his approach to understanding the ebook. It is truly astounding that a new format for reading is developing right before my eyes, however, I think Grossman's point that "Indeed, the codex isn’t just another format, it’s the one for which the novel is optimized. The contemporary novel’s dense, layered language took root and grew in the codex, and it demands the kind of navigation that only the codex provides." is poignant. The fact that I can't just pick up and ebook and flip through it is just one of many reasons I will not be buying and e-reader at any time in the near future.