Is This a Book?

Examines the book and how it is changing in the light of digital developments.

Angus Phillips (Author), Miha Kova? (Author)

9781108940344, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 23 June 2022

75 pages
17.6 x 12.7 x 0.5 cm, 0.09 kg

'The 21st century has been a time of huge change for the book, but it has left us with more questions than answers. However in this thought-provoking and informative monograph, Phillips and Kova? uncover what makes the book tick, both today but also over the deep expanse of reading history. They uncover the big questions around the book, whilst offering original answers to what, in an age of transformation, is so significant about this slippery but essential form. Is this a book? is the best single volume on the book there is.' Michael Bhaskar, Co-Founder of Canelo and author of The Content Machine

This is a book about the book. Is this a book? is a question of wide appeal and interest. With the arrival of ebooks, digital narratives and audiobooks, the time is right for a fresh discussion of what is a book. Older definitions that rely solely on print no longer work, and as the boundaries of the book have been broken down, this volume offers a fresh and lively discussion of the form and purpose of the book. How does the audiobook fit into the book family? How is the role of reading changing in the light of digital developments? Does the book still deserve a privileged place in society? The authors present a dynamic model of the book and how it lives on in today's competitive media environment.

Introduction: The Three-Body Problem
1. The Variety of Books
2. A Brief Digression into Book History
3. Defining the Book
4. The Audiobook
5. The Social and Cultural Status of the Book
6. Does Reading Still Matter?
7. The Book as Business Model
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Publishing industry & book trade [KNTP], Retail sector [KNPR], Literary studies: general [DSB]