Books
Sven Birkerts, The Gutenberg Elegies: the Fate of Reading in an Electronic Age (paperback) (New York: Faber & Faber, 2006) Birkerts worries that "the stable hierarchies of the printed page - one of the defining norms of [the earlier] world - are being superseded by the rush of impulses through freshly minted circuits." Includes several highly personal accounts of his own passion for books.
Robert B. Downs, Books that Changed the World, revised ed. (paperback) (New York: Signet Classics, 2004) An examination of the great works that revolutionized our ideas about the universe and ourselves. This guide includes important scientific books such as Archimedes' On the Sphere and Cylinder, and books of great influence that are not necessarily great books, such as Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Warren Chappell and Robert Bringhurst, A Short History of the Printed Word, 2nd revised updated edition (paperback) (Vancouver, BC, Canada: Hartley and Marks Publishers, 2000) This classic volume presents the history of the printed word, from the earliest alphabets through the evolution of the printing press. The contributions of the great printers and typographers are discussed. A new chapter by Robert Bringhurst takes up this history where Chappell ended, covering the most recent developments in the printed word.
Films, Videos, and DVDs
Fahrenheit 451(1966, NR) The firemen of the future don't put out fires - they set them. Specifically, they burn books, because of the dangerous ideas they contain. Books, as the fire chief explains, make some people unhappy, make some people believe they are better than others are, and generally cause civil unrest. This film, adapted from a novel by Ray Bradbury, was directed by Francois Truffaut, his only film in English. It stars Julie Christie and Oskar Werner.
Isn't She Great? (2000, rated R) Bette Midler as Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls, and Nathan Lane as her husband and co-promoter, as they orchestrate the campaign that sends a book with huge appeal, but little literary merit, to the top of the all-time best-seller list.
Misery (1990, rated R) Adapted from a Stephen King book and directed by Rob Reiner, this film stars Kathy Bates as the obsessive fan of a romance novelist played by James Caan. On one level, this is a dissection of the relationship between author and reader.
The Never Ending Story (1984, rated PG) The West German-British production features a book magically coming to life; it serves as a metaphor for the importance of reading.
