[PW] predictions of the death of the book?

[Charles Early]

A former boas commented to me back in 1993:

"We'll have a paperless office about the same time we have a paperless 
bathroom".
I believe she was quoting somebody else, but I don't know who.

At 06:16 PM 4/6/2007, you wrote:

>On Fri, 6 Apr 2007, Kevin O'Kelly wrote:
>
> > All:
> >
> > The patron in this case is me, so no rush. I have been burrowing in 
> databases
> > trying to locate examples of prediction of the death of the codex in the
> > mid-nineties--when so many people were swept up in enthusiasm over the
> > possibilities by the World Wide Web.
> >
> > I familiar, of course, with Sven Birkert's Gutenberg Elegies, and Sallie
> > Tisdale's Harper's essay in which she expressed alarm that multimedia in
> > libraries would supplant books.
> >
> > But I have vague memories of futurists in periodicals such as Wired
> > expressing enthusiasm for the Web and hand-held electronic devices as a 
> way
> > to deliver text and possibly replace the book. I am interested in whatever
> > mid to late-nineties speculations on the bookless future anyone can 
> point me
> > to--whether positive or negative.
> >
> > Many thanks,
> >
> > Kevin
>
>As I recall the term "Paperless" society or office was coined by someone
>at the U of Illinois named Lancaster. . .Wilfred?  So you might want to
>start with him, but that would predate your 1990's timeline, so perhaps
>my suggestion is out of line, as would be that of Ted Nelson.
>
>However, I, myself, made many such predictions, though not always in the
>hallowed pages of Wired, who doesn't cover things from nearly the same
>perspective since they were bought out by Conde Nast, famous for "Better
>Homes and Gardens" or something on that order.
>
>I would be only too happy to go over my predictions with you if you like.
>
>
>
>Thank You!!!
>
>
>Give the world eBooks in 2007!!!
>
>Michael S. Hart
>Founder
>Project Gutenberg
>
>Blog at http://hart.pglaf.org
>
>_______________________________________________
>Project Wombat
>list at project-wombat.org
>http://www.project-wombat.org/

Charles Early
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