Narrative, materiality, form and physicality. What truly makes a book a book? The book has undertaken a significant evolution since its origination over 5,000 years ago. In this digital age, print is sometimes seen to be a more valuable commodity – it’s tangible, it has longevity, it’s a keepsake. Does it have to do with the paper, binding, the smell of the pages? Or do the benefits of convenience and accessibility of reading on a mobile phone or eReader outweigh the physicality of print? Nowadays, it’s great that you don’t have to choose, you can buy the content once and get both the physical book and the digital access to it at the same time. With switching between formats now the norm for Shulph users, we decided to take a brief look back at how the book had evolved and how we read them too.
Let’s take it back to 3500 B.C.
The first written communication dates all the way back to 3500 B.C., when only a tiny proportion of people learned how to read and write on papyrus in Ancient Egypt. It wasn’t for several thousand years, until around 23 B.C., that the first known titles originated from Rome, using wax tablets joined together with cord to communicate. This is the earliest known form of a bound book and became popular in Europe, replacing the scroll.
The Middle East and several Asian nations quickly followed suit, with the invention of paper by China in 105AD. China continued to lead the evolution of the book with the first tome being woodblock printed using a knife to carve the lettering, know as Xylography, and stamped onto paper.
The Printing Revolution
Initially, books were quite rare and expensive until the invention of the printing press by Gutenberg in the 15th century. The printed book then became more common, and so literacy rates began to rise too due to the proliferation of the press with more than 20 million books produced, across Europe.
From the Renaissance onwards, self-discovery was guided by reading. Then the Industrial Revolution and paper production in the 18th century greatly reduced the cost of books, and literacy became a key goal across the US and Europe. Being able to read soon became a sign of status, setting oneself apart from less educated peers.
Fast forward to the 20th Century
In 1995, the behemoth we know as Amazon was born, which enabled people to buy books online for the very first time. The first volume ever bought was titled ‘Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought’ clearly demonstrating the audience demographic utilising the internet at that time. Then, in 2000, the first digital novella arrived wit the eReader launching shortly after in November 2007.
Book vs. eBook vs. Audiobook
From 2008 onwards, the media regularly painted a book vs. eBook battle with reading figures across both formats going in waves of peaks and troughs. Now Audiobook consumption has dramatically increased due to the ubiquity of mobile phones. Statistics from the UK Publishers Association in 2018 stated that non-fiction sales across both physical and digital formats are up by 4% and audiobook sales have risen 25% compared to 2017, which clearly demonstrates that reading rates are the same as they were in 2002, before digital devices even arrived.
Literacy has also now been taken on a different path. Reading motivation, reading strategies and new technologies are continually being researched. Technology has given us a wealth of data to understand current reading behaviours, particularly across reading on different formats.
Is reading different in the 21st Century?
Mohsin Hamid recently stated that he believes that technology has compressed and changed the way people read – but how much has really altered? Firstly, we know that attention spans have become shorter and mobile devices and social media are occupying more of our time, so this might be true about reading digitally, but how does this translate or differ when reading a physical book? Time will tell.
In 2019, we’ve moved completely towards multi-format reading so you no longer have to choose between digital or print book formats. Now you can roundread the same title, dependent on what’s convenient with your lifestyle.
Reading has changed significantly over the past 15 years and it’s the simplicity and widespread appeal of a book that continues to thrive. A book doesn’t require significant technical expertise to read, its value is all in what you take away from it.
About Shulph
At Shulph, we believe that your reading experience should fit seamlessly into your lifestyle, whether you’re on the move or curled up on the sofa at home. We’re here to ensure you never have to choose between the print and digital copy of the book ever again. To buy your book once and receive both print and digital copies at the same time.
Our bookstore has the world’s best non-fiction titles for your personal and professional development. From leadership to psychology, innovation and politics, we’ve handpicked our favourites to help you get ahead. Jump into any of these titles today and elevate yourself, your colleagues and employees. Happy reading.
Emmanuel
Founder & MD of Shulph