{"id":665,"date":"2017-10-23T13:50:20","date_gmt":"2017-10-23T17:50:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/bookends\/?p=665"},"modified":"2020-04-30T08:49:28","modified_gmt":"2020-04-30T12:49:28","slug":"books-and-the-web","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ams.org\/amathematicalword\/2017\/10\/23\/books-and-the-web\/","title":{"rendered":"The Web and Books of the Future"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given the way the internet has become firmly entrenched in our lives, how do you think books of the future will look and how will these “new books” be read and used?\u00a0\u00a0 Is the web making books obsolete, or will a new kind of book emerge from within the web world?<\/p>\n

I’m thinking of the possible development of a post web “new book” in analogy to the way our current books evolved from oral tradition.\u00a0 For example, it seems natural that linear narrative should grow out of oral histories, songs,\u00a0 poetry, and rote memorization and repetition of speeches.\u00a0 The text of most books transcribes what could also be narrated.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The major difference is that, being physical objects, books have permanence and can be distributed widely.\u00a0\u00a0 Some of the freedom and fluidity is lost when a relatively small group of people decide what to print and disseminate in bulk, but there are established mechanisms to preserve a level of consistency and quality and books can reach beyond the inner circle to unimaginably far away worlds.<\/p>\n

With the internet, free-flowing information has re-emerged, and a new establishment (or anti-establishment) has formed. People regularly go to the internet instead of to books for information, enrichment and entertainment.\u00a0\u00a0 They “go” not to bookstores and libraries, but to websites that resonate with their beliefs and suit their tastes.\u00a0 The result is a new sort of “village”.\u00a0 The modern version of a “village” may be geographically diverse but narrowly focused, and miles apart from other “villages.” In other words, the internet gives us more choices, but\u00a0 it takes conscious effort not to let it reinforce our prejudices and phobias.<\/p>\n

What will be the “new book”? \u00a0Multiple screens and interactive features? \u00a0Intelligent merging of aural, visual and kinetic elements to optimize absorption? \u00a0Will books, music, and film merge into one another?<\/p>\n

And in all this, how will the concept of authorship evolve?<\/p>\n

As always, your comments are welcome!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Featured Book of the Day<\/strong><\/h1>\n

\"\"<\/a>Class Field Theory <\/a><\/strong>by Emil Artin and John Tate<\/p>\n

This classic book, originally published in 1968, is based on notes of a year-long seminar the authors ran at Princeton University. The primary goal of the book was to give a rather complete presentation of algebraic aspects of global class field theory, and the authors accomplished this goal spectacularly: for more than 40 years since its first publication, the book has served as an ultimate source for many generations of mathematicians.<\/p>\n

In this revised edition, two mathematical additions complementing the exposition in the original text are made. The new edition also contains several new footnotes, additional references, and historical comments.<\/p>\n

<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given the way the internet has become firmly entrenched in our lives, how do you think books of the future will look and how will these “new books” be read and used?\u00a0\u00a0 Is the web making books obsolete, or will … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

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