Much ink has been spilled lamenting or championing the decline of printed books. In Book Was There, Andrew Piper shows that the rich history of reading itself offers unexpected clues to what lies in store for books - print or digital. From medieval manuscript books to today's interactive urban fictions, Piper explores the manifold ways that physical media have shaped how we read. In doing so, he uncovers the intimate connections we develop with our reading materials-how we hold them, play with them, and even where we read them - and shows how reading is interwoven with our experiences in life. Piper reveals that reading's many identities, past and present, on page and on screen, are the key to helping us understand the kind of reading we care about and how new technologies will - and will not-change old habits. Contending that our experience of reading belies naive generalizations about the future of books, Book Was There is an elegantly argued and thoroughly up-to-date tribute to the endurance of books in our ever-evolving digital world.

About the Author
Andrew Piper teaches German and European literature at McGill University.

Reviews
"Compelling.... Andrew Piper shows the apparent internet revolution as being a continuum of book culture." (Financial Times) "This series of enlightening meditations on the experience and history of reading reveals what we are poised to gain and to lose with the advent of e-readers and related digital media.... Andrew Piper does a fine job of uncovering the metaphors on which the rationality and logic of reading rest.... A fascinating glance at the page as it was, as it is, and as it might yet be." (Publishers Weekly)"



Book Information
ISBN 9780226103488
Author Andrew Piper
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint University of Chicago Press
Publisher The University of Chicago Press
Weight(grams) 284g
Dimensions(mm) 22mm * 14mm * 1mm