The Ethereal Arc

If you were to visit your local public library and compare it to the library of say 20 or 30 years ago, you would notice some differences. You would find in today’s library shelves spilling over with DVDs, rows of computer stations, and sadly, fewer printed books. For years now, libraries nationwide have been slashing their print collections in favor of e-books. Taking the trend to the extreme, a library in San Antonio Texas has a “bookless” all digital branch called BiblioTech. But lovers of “real” books are not going down without a fight. Outside one New York library, protestors shouted “Save the stacks! Save the stacks!” as they gathered to decry the digital deluge. It seems that for many, there’s just no substitute for curling up with a good book — a real one.

Reflecting on his love of books, the great literary historian Gilbert Higlet once said, “Books are not lumps of lifeless paper but minds alive on the shelves. From each of…