The web benefits

There is an interesting argument made in the Guardian today by Victor Keegan about the technological impact on books. The point seems to be that it is all for the good that volumes that are out of copyright, rarely read and very difficult to obtain are now going to be made available. Keegan argues that far from being a threat this could all be good for the world of books: “Far from being killed off by the web, books have been reinvented on a bigger scale.”

There is still a slight question though over delivery. In an earlier column Keegan enthused about the Sony Reader but it is far too early to predict what will become the favourite medium for reading these downloaded books. You sense that with electronic paper being played around with that there is still the chance for something completely different to come out of the woodwork and revolutionise reading.