Out of Print covered the history of books from the earliest days, from cave drawings to electronic books. The first libraries were in Egypt. The largest is in London. Discussed were the printing press and movable type, scrolls, illuminated manuscripts, paper books and e-books.

The history of books covered the same territory only in greater depth. Cases were made that our society is becoming increasingly illiterate. With smartphones people are reading chunks of information. People are reading summaries of books rather than the books themselves. People are not thinking about what authors are writing and are not learning by studying is saying rather they are taking the information condensed by others.

Out of Print discussed issues around electronic books. Organizations such as google and others are copying books too make them more widely accessible. However, some people are concerned that they may try and use the information for advertisements and other ways to monetize the books.

One of the points I never thought about was the fact that paper books have been around for centuries and will continue for centuries. E-books are ephemeral. A book that someone self publishes might be lost over time. Also, with the advent of e-books, authors must not only write the book, but they must edit it, create the artwork for the book jacket and summarize the books content. They must also market their book.

Writing changed the world, but it was paper that allowed people to circulate their story’s and thoughts. With e-books the world is flat. Anyone can write a book and have it read around the world. You don’t need an agent, you don’t need a publisher. Amazon through its algorithms can greatly impact how people learn about books. If I by Tom Clancy I might also be asked if I’m interested in a book by David Baldacci. If I liked horror books I undoubtedly will be led to Stephen King. This is the power of Amazon.

I live in New York and I am about five blocks from Strand Bookstore, which is prominently featured in Out of Print. It is the last book store of it’s kind. When I walk into that store I marvel at the sheer number of books. It seems one can find almost anything there. This store has been there for decades. It was once THE place to find a book. It would be sad if we lost Strand Books forever.