Sherman Young writes in the Sydney Morning Herald – Leave the antibooks on the shelf. The good news is that we are not the only ones lamenting the demise of a reading and writing culture. The bad news, of course, is that we never really had one.
The report states: In Australia in 2004, 32 Australian novels were published by mainstream publishers, down from 60 in 1996. This is mirrored in our spending on Australian fiction, which dropped from $125 million in 2001-02 to $73 million in 2003-04.
Sherman Young attributes this to the rise of the 'antibook': ... printed objects motivated by mammon rather than ideas. The key to an antibook is a hook designed to convince us to part with a few dollars. A hook that contains a life-changing promise, a movie tie-in, a catchy, timely premise or an author who is famous for just about anything except writing. Beyond the hook, there need not be much at all.
Meanwhile, in an article titles 'Guy books' are most coveted rarities by Michelle Pauli in Guardian Unlimited finds that The Great Tool Emporium and Cab Forward: the Story of the Southern Pacific Articulated Locomotives are some of the most sought after books in the United States. These are amongst the most requested titles on BookFinder.com. Also on the list are: The Book of Bon, or, Every Man His Own 007 by Kingsley Amis, and Football Scouting Methods by Steve Belichick. And as if to counterbalance the male domination The Principles of Knitting, Knitting Lace and I Do: Achieving your Dream Wedding by Jessica Simpson is also much sought after.
And the most sought after fiction: Nora Roberts' Promise Me Tomorrow. Ahem. And I looked for a hardback edition of Umberto Eco's Name of the Rose.
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2168191,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=10
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