Books in our limes

The history of books is as old as the history of writing itself. Thousands years ago ancient civilisations found the way to write down their thoughts. Originally, written texts were available only for the people who were educated and could afford to buy books which were extremely expensive: medieval books were all hand-written, so it could take years to reproduce one copy. The invention of printing in the 15th century was an absolute revolution. Little by little books started to become more accessible and popular. Nowadays, hundreds millions of readers all over the world buy and read millions of volumes every day. Written publication has become a part of our normal life. It is so hard to imagine today's world without dictionaries, encyclopaedias, lexicons, handbooks and other kinds of printed publications. The great variety of books gives an occasion to arouse or develop one's interests. Books do not only inform people but also protect them from boredom and are an alternative activity to such time-consuming and senseless leisure pursuits as watching TV or playing stupefying computer games. There are plenty of sorts of books that satisfy everyone. We can divide books into several groups, such as poetry, fiction, non-fiction, handbooks, historical novels, children's books, art books, cookery books, etc… Many people believe that TV and internet will ultimately end the era of books but I think they are wrong. Just look at the greatest e-companies. Aren't they internet bookshops such as amazon.com? Books are our best friends indeed. They have served us well for centuries and will very likely serve us in a future. There's only one disadvantage. Our books are made of paper so we have to cut down millions of trees daily to provide population with thousands of new tiles each day. Unfortunately, it costs our natural environment a lot.

 

---