America: NPR Online, August 20th 2010.
"Dan Visel, a founder of the appropriately named Institute for the Future of the Book, points out that, first of all, a "book" can mean many things: A cookbook, a comic book, a history book and an electronic book are all animals of different stripes.
"It would be a mistake to think that these various forms have a single, unified future," Visel says. "Rather, I think it's more appropriate to say that there are futures of the book." He sees some books, such as romances and thrillers, migrating easily to an electronic form.
Other types of books are not only meant to be read, but meant to be seen: Like when a New York subway rider whips out a copy of Going Rogue by Sarah Palin. "That sort of book largely has value as social display," Visel says."
