i don’t think this is entirely true – reading, in many cultures & at many points in history, has been a decidedly social act – the idea of “silent reading” has not always been the norm

you point out the reason, in fact, for why folks throughout history have often read aloud to each other in groups, why it was regarded as a social activity – happiness (and knowledge) is only real when it’s shared

anyways, minor point…

in answer to your query at the end: i have yet to feel any excitement over ebooks – what worries me the most is the exacerbation of the already extreme digital divide – the price of many books these days has already created a significant economic barrier – requiring an expensive piece of technology just makes that barrier higher

i want to see booksellers striving to make books more available to ever wider groups of people, not to servicing a select set who can afford blackberries & iphones & other gadgets

thanks for the interesting post

(found this via bookavore, btw)