With the advent of the Amazon Kindle, Apple iPad and all the new eInk displays and book readers on the market, everybody's talking about how the publishing industry will go down the toilet. I don't know why people are actually debating this. Just like paper only became more popular with the invention of the personal computer, new technologies don't necessarily eradicate the old. People will always like books - the texture, the permanence, the things you can do with specific types of papers, inks, bindings and covers... Books aren't going anywhere.

Sure, candles no longer light our homes, horses are not used for transportation, film is more finicky and expensive than digital, and vinyl records are less portable than MP3s. But we do use candles for ambiance and mood, there's a thriving equestrian sport, film still has a wonderful look that professionals want, and vinyl records are still collected and admired by aficionados.

Books will go the same route, with the finest specimens of bound printings surviving the new technologies. And the publishing industry will only be for the better, since they will increase efficiency, reduce distribution costs, and save energy and trees by delivering their product electronically.

Pulp paperbacks, though? Gone.