The World Is At Your Fingertips!

Reading is universally enjoyed. In fact, there are more books being sold now than ever. However, in this digital age, many of these books are not in the physical form of print and paper. Countless writings are sold as e-books. This allows people to read on their smartphones, tablets, e-readers...etc. An American study displayed that printed book, e-book, and audiobook sales reached $28 billion in 2014.

Books have been around for centuries. The Phoenician alphabet was systemized in 1000 BC in the Middle East, this is most likely the time that novels started to develop. Undoubtedly, writing novels was quite the process back in the day, considering everything had to be done by hand. Talk about a hand cramp!

The first printed book did not develop until 1455, after Gutenburg invented the movable-type printing press. Because of this, society grew with mass production and industrialization. The first book to be printed was the Bible as printing in America began with religious books. Benjamin Franklin’s “Poor Richard’s Almanack” was published in 1732. Because of his work, he was the first person to popularize library subscriptions. Between 1700-1800 book printing quadrupled, as reading became increasingly more of a common skill.

Today, while hard copies are still being sold and libraries continuing to be used, we live in a digital age. It is evident that people will always enjoy all that books have to offer, however, it has taken a different form. For example, we now have the ability to read or hear the content from our cell phones, tablets, and computers. Have you ever been to a church service as you watch your neighbor bring out a “Bible” which is, in fact, an app on their smartphone? A recent survey showed that 37% of Americans exclusively read off the printed books. This displays that countless readers embrace this technological age as they now have many options to choose from.

Audiobooks allow one to read by simply listening to someone tell them their books of choice. The first use of audiobooks was created in the 1930s for the blind. However, the use of audiobooks has skyrocketed in the last ten years as technology has improved. A recent study showed that 14% to 20% of people have stated that they listen to audiobooks.

So why are books so important? Books are the source of nearly all knowledge. Undoubtedly, books hold great power. Think about it. Books are held at such high regard that people are willing to devote their entire lives to a single one. For example, The Holy Bible, The Koran, The Book of Mormon are all religious books that have all impacted the world in many regards. Books are wonderful because they contain endless amounts of knowledge. For example, pretty well all we know about history, we owe to the writers who documented the events that took place.

While countless people enjoy reading, not everyone fully realizes the gift reading truly is, especially since 27% of the population does not read at all. Garrison Keillor said, “A book is a gift you can open again and again”. One of the reasons books are so treasured is the fact that they contain endless amounts of information. Books provide more than mere knowledge, they allow one to enter a whole other world. When you walk in a library and view the seemingly endless rows of books, you are looking at thousands of different stories you have the opportunity to explore. Frederick Douglass, a famous American social reformer and abolitionist, had an adoration for reading. He stated, “Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.” Douglass simply meant that books hold great importance in life, and learning to read gives one the key to miraculous knowledge. There is much to learn. A great place to start is simply by picking up a book yourself. The world is at our fingertips!