The following two items are among those in the "Fresh Ink" column of the San Francisco Chronicle's "Books" section today (5/22/11, p. G8) -- a telling juxtaposition. As Ms. Magazine's last page of each issue, a compendium of outrageous ads and other affronts, is titled: "No Comment."
Item 1: "Amazon.com has reached a milestone: The company now sells more e-books than printed books. For every 100 printed books sold, the retailer said, it sells 105 e-books. The company introduced its e-reader, the Kindle, in 2007."
Item 2: "Charles Simic, the poet, has written a powerful piece on the importance of public libraries. 'I don't know of anything more disheartening than the sight of a shut down library,' he writes in the blog post at the new York Review of Books (www.nybooks.com). 'Their slow disappearance is a tragedy, not just for those impoverished towns and cities, but for everyone everywhere terrified at the thought of a country without libraries.'"
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Thanks for the heads up about the wonderful Simic piece. I just sent it to the adjuncts I supervise so they could share it with students.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked by the e-book thing. I guess I knew it might eventually happen--but already?? As for the subject of shuttered libraries--unspeakably depressing.
ReplyDeleteSarah, so glad you are sharing the Simic piece. Mary, I know, shocking on both counts...
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