As for Road Trip Books, I would have to say both “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (by Hunter S. Thompson; illustrated by Ralph Steadman) and “On the Road” (by Jack Keroac) would be seminal works on the theme; but of course the uber-Road Trip book would have to be “The Odyssey” (by Homer!)

As for the future of bookstores, I’m not overly optimistic. Having born witness to the demise of Record Shops and hard copy formats of music, the aesthetics of a physical book may fall victim to “progress.”

Will I go the e-book route? Probably not (I can only read about 6 minutes at a time on any e-book reader manufactured so far), but you’re talking to someone who still has a collection of Led Zep albums (and a turntable!), a box of Thank You notes, and goes to the theater.

I can foresee graphics software evolving to handle illustrations and maybe even interactive elements (a cross between a video game and a Leapster) making e-books more dynamic and appealing.

In another decade or so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see teen-agers heading off to college w/o the need for cumbersome and expensive texts.

As for Road Trip Books, I would have to say both “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” (by Hunter S. Thompson; illustrated by Ralph Steadman) and “On the Road” (by Jack Keroac) would be seminal works on the theme; but of course the uber-Road Trip book would have to be “The Odyssey” (by Homer!)

As for the future of bookstores, I’m not overly optimistic. Having born witness to the demise of Record Shops and hard copy formats of music, the aesthetics of a physical book may fall victim to “progress.”

Will I go the e-book route? Probably not (I can only read about 6 minutes at a time on any e-book reader manufactured so far), but you’re talking to someone who still has a collection of Led Zep albums (and a turntable!), a box of Thank You notes, and goes to the theater.

I can foresee graphics software evolving to handle illustrations and maybe even interactive elements (a cross between a video game and a Leapster) making e-books more dynamic and appealing.

In another decade or so, I wouldn’t be surprised to see teen-agers heading off to college w/o the need for cumbersome and expensive texts.

Tanya,
I often go back to the record store/vinyl album example, too. But here’s the thing: I was an early adopter of the CD, and then later the mp3. My husband and I have hundreds of thousands of digital music files, sold our vinyl record collection, and stashed the CDs in the basement. But recently we both realized that we had lost our connection to the music. Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.

So we dragged the turntable out of the basement. And we’ve started buying vinyl again. Many of the new albums come with a digital download code, or a copy of the CD, packaged with the album. I love that. It means I can take my favorite music with me on my iPod, but can have the full sensory experience at home.

Will this be a universal experience? Probably not — especially for those who grew up without owning physical copies of their music. But I’m hopeful that the realization that the entertainment is experiential in many ways will let us keep the physical form of the book strong and healthy instead of later needing to revive it.

Tanya,
I often go back to the record store/vinyl album example, too. But here’s the thing: I was an early adopter of the CD, and then later the mp3. My husband and I have hundreds of thousands of digital music files, sold our vinyl record collection, and stashed the CDs in the basement. But recently we both realized that we had lost our connection to the music. Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.

So we dragged the turntable out of the basement. And we’ve started buying vinyl again. Many of the new albums come with a digital download code, or a copy of the CD, packaged with the album. I love that. It means I can take my favorite music with me on my iPod, but can have the full sensory experience at home.

Will this be a universal experience? Probably not — especially for those who grew up without owning physical copies of their music. But I’m hopeful that the realization that the entertainment is experiential in many ways will let us keep the physical form of the book strong and healthy instead of later needing to revive it.

I really enjoy your podcasts and am glad I found you (and the blog). Thanks for all you put into both. I found the discussion of the future of books and bookstores very interesting. Also I completely agree with Michael’s comments on Tracy Kidder and look forward to the new book.

I really enjoy your podcasts and am glad I found you (and the blog). Thanks for all you put into both. I found the discussion of the future of books and bookstores very interesting. Also I completely agree with Michael’s comments on Tracy Kidder and look forward to the new book.

I left a comment on your voicemail about this subject too, I hope it recorded. I too love the book as “object” and I think that enough people still do to keep the “book” around for many many years. The Expresso Machine has it’s use and place though. Nothing beats browsing through the shelves of a bookstore or library.

I left a comment on your voicemail about this subject too, I hope it recorded. I too love the book as “object” and I think that enough people still do to keep the “book” around for many many years. The Expresso Machine has it’s use and place though. Nothing beats browsing through the shelves of a bookstore or library.

I’m working on an updated post about the perfect bookstore. I’m not a print hater, and I *don’t* want to lose the serendipity, but I think it can be stumbled upon in a different manner. (Taking my cue from needlework shops.)

On the other hand, my latest trip to Borders (my closest bookstore AT ALL at 20 miles one way) was a right bust and the indie bookstores I’ve been in don’t cater to my taste and/or sneer at it. So…

What I’d like to see is some amalgam of E and P in a sort of community atmosphere.

@Ann

Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.

I’ve been thinking about that A LOT because of Apple’s development of art and such as “liner notes” for whole albums.

I’ll address that in my post, but I’m still cogitating the floor plan. Also, all the comments on my original post brought up things I never thought about but are good ideas. I want to incorporate those.

But the bigger point here is that my perfect bookstore is in an existing space with a small footprint.

I’m working on an updated post about the perfect bookstore. I’m not a print hater, and I *don’t* want to lose the serendipity, but I think it can be stumbled upon in a different manner. (Taking my cue from needlework shops.)

On the other hand, my latest trip to Borders (my closest bookstore AT ALL at 20 miles one way) was a right bust and the indie bookstores I’ve been in don’t cater to my taste and/or sneer at it. So…

What I’d like to see is some amalgam of E and P in a sort of community atmosphere.

@Ann

Without the album art and liner notes in our hands as we listened, connecting the auditory with the tactile, we had lost much of what our music experience had been.

I’ve been thinking about that A LOT because of Apple’s development of art and such as “liner notes” for whole albums.

I’ll address that in my post, but I’m still cogitating the floor plan. Also, all the comments on my original post brought up things I never thought about but are good ideas. I want to incorporate those.

But the bigger point here is that my perfect bookstore is in an existing space with a small footprint.