September 30, 2009

TBF and the future of books

Share: posted by Sara Haji at 09:04 PM

Cushing Academy, just west of Boston, recently decided to update its traditional, brick-and-ivy look by becoming a book-less campus. James Tracy, the school's headmaster, claims this "isn't 'Fahrenheit 451' [...] [w]e see this as a natural way to shape emerging trends and optimize technology." Meanwhile, bars were placed on the bookshelves at Harvard yesterday to prevent the theft of valuable first-edition texts from among the university's 16 million titles. Students, upset at what they consider a "rash" response to thefts, have argued that the attempt renders books artifacts instead of resources.

These and other issues will likely be discussed at a panel titled "Are Books Dead? The Digital Future of Reading," on Saturday, October 31st at 10 am. The three panelists have yet to be determined, but they'll be discussing what the digitalization of books means for the way books are written and published, and for the public response to and the market for them. The Texas Book Festival has now released its schedule, and The Texas Observer's very own Bob Moser will be moderating a panel at 2:30 on Saturday the 31st. 

Those of you who enjoy the popular blog "Stuff White People Like" will take particular joy in author Christian Lander's discussion of his new book, aptly titled Stuff White People Like: The Definitive Guide to the Unique Taste of Millions. Lander mercilessly calls out individualists on their utter conformity, and though his generalizations apply more to yuppies at-large, they do in fact eerily reflect the tastes of white people [as a monolith, obviously] is hilarious. Equally funny will be his warm welcome in Austin the Saturday of the Texas Book Festival.

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