Books...Who Reads Books Anymore?

xoxoxoBruce · 07-09-2006, 03:30 PM

This site has a jillion statistics about the publishing business, some of which I found depressing.

Quote:

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.

58% of the US adult population never reads another book after high school.

42% of college graduates never read another book.

80% of US families did not buy or read a book last year.

70% of US adults have not been in a bookstore in the last five years.

57% of new books are not read to completion.

That sounds rather dire but I suppose with all the entertainment/time-filling options available (with their instant gratification), it's a lot of competition for books.
If you get gratification from reading it's instant, but if the gratification doesn't come till you finish the book, some electronic options might appear more attractive.

Yeah, I know....too damn busy. Life can be pretty hectic and it's hard to read when you fall asleep on the first paragraph.

But there are a lot of books being published. Especially with the rise of small or self publishers, enabled by electronics.

Some of the statistics are dated but interesting anyway.....at least to me.

xoxoxoBruce · 07-09-2006, 03:47 PM

Speaking of books;
Everyone knows you're not allowed to have sex standing up because it leads to dancing, right?

Here is a free online book, "From Ball Room to Hell", by T. A. Faulkner, "Formerly Proprietor of the Los Angeles Dancing Academy and ex-President of Dancing Masters' Association of the Pacific Coast", Copyright 1892, 40 pages.

Quote:

PREFACE.

You will, my dear reader, find many very plain things between the two covers of this little book; things which will, perhaps, shock your modesty and probably disgust you altogether.

But if you find merely the reading of the facts disgusting, think how much more disgusting is the reality, and how essential that some one should portray the evil to the public in a manner impressive and not to be misunderstood.

I have numerous reasons for undertaking this work, chief among them, however, being because I have for many months, felt it to be a duty to my God, and to my fellow-man. Nay, I may put it in a yet more concise form; and simply say, because of a sense of duty to my God, for I believe the two to be inseparable. As the green calyx of the rosebud holds within its embrace everything required to make up the perfect rose in all its beauty of form, texture, tint and perfume, so my duty to my God embraces my whole duty to my fellow-man in all its beauty of kindness, love, and any help or warning I may be able to give, and if that duty shall lead me to speak out boldly and plainly a warning against the evil of a popular amusement, I will boldly and plainly speak, and leave the result with Him whose I am and whom I serve.

Many will, doubtless, object to the book on account of the plainness of the language used; but, my friends, I have endeavored to tell the truth, and to do this on such a subject, does not admit of the use of delicate language. A mild hint at such a fact, clothed in flowery language, would only serve to give a vague impression, and would fall far short of the mission I wish this little book to accomplish, viz.: the opening of the eyes of the people, particularly parents, who are blind to the awful dangers there are for young girls in the dancing academy and ball-room, and of leading some, if possible, to forsake (as I have done) the old unsatisfactory life of selfish pleasure and sinful indulgence and enter upon the purer, nobler and far happier life, which I have found in the service of the Lord.

I do not undertake to write upon a subject of which I am ignorant. There are, perhaps, few people living who have had more practical experience or better opportunities of finding out the evil influences of dancing than myself. I began to dance at the age of twelve and have spent most of my life since that time, until within a few months, in the dancing parlors and academies. For the last six

3 years I have been a teacher of dancing and for several years held the championship of the Pacific Coast in fancy and round dancing. I am also the author of many of the round dances which are the popular fads of the day.

I merely tell you these things to prove to you that I know whereof I speak, and not because I am proud of them. On the contrary, it is the greatest sorrow of my life that I have been so long and in such an influential way connected with an evil which I know to have been the ruin, both of soul and body, to many a bright young life. And if, in the hands of God, I can be the means of leading one-fiftieth as many souls to Christ as I have seen led to a life of vice and crime through the influence of dancing academies with which I have been connected, I shall be more proud than I have ever been of any previous achievements. And if this little book shall, in any degree, help in the accomplishment of this purpose, I shall feel that I am more than repaid for my trouble in its writing, and shall willingly and gladly endure all the harsh criticism and condemnation I know its writing will bring upon me.

T. A. FAULKNER.

Funny stuff.

velocityboy · 07-09-2006, 04:18 PM

Yeah it's pretty sad. Nobody at work talks about books, just about movies and TV. (I'm guilty of that too, even tho I do read a lot.)

My partner and I have quite a large library, split into rough thirds by fiction, general non-fiction, and my geek books (computer, math, graphics, etc.) We've actually had a hard time finding decent bookshelves. Nobody seems to sell them anymore.

Katkeeper · 07-09-2006, 05:11 PM

I love books and still read them. I also prefer reading the newspaper in paper form rather than on a computer screen. I am currently reading "Rats" by Michael Sullivan who researched the subject of rats particularly in New York City, and wrote abouat them. Interesting stuff.

smoothmoniker · 07-09-2006, 05:17 PM

Explain to me why this is a bad thing. If you look at the quality of most of those books being published, I don't know that we would be better off for having read them.

If I decide to watch something on the History Channel or PBS instead of reading a trash fiction novel, isn't that a better choice? Why is the printed word more sacred than then spoken or visual word?

Griff · 07-09-2006, 05:27 PM

With your examples, sure. In general, though, books require more interaction than tv, more mental exercise. Of course, many of the folks watching History Channel are the same ones reading real books. I can't have cable in my house, since I'm raising children, so its books for me.

Elspode · 07-09-2006, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bruce's Source

One-third of high school graduates never read another book for the rest of their lives. Many do not even graduate from high school.

Can someone please explain to me how how school graduates fail to graduate from high school?

Beautiful_Stranger · 07-09-2006, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elspode

Can someone please explain to me how how school graduates fail to graduate from high school?

LOL, how funny.

I work in the children's dept. of our public library, and it's SUMMER VACATION. Which means Summer Reading Lists, and there's a ZILLION kids visiting us every single day. Of course, this is good news.....except for those who work in the library and have to lookup, find, and SHELVE all those bloody books!!!

Rant over! Thank you....just another month to go.

wolf · 07-09-2006, 09:11 PM

I would be the one person who still is reading. Given the amount of other stuff I do, my average number of books completed per month is down, but I'm still reading.

farfromhome · 07-10-2006, 12:12 AM

Great catch Patrick! I think those survey numbers may be a little inflated. Still...

seakdivers · 07-10-2006, 12:31 AM

I love to read.
I've had down times where I didn't have the time to read the back of a box of brownies.... hence all of the screaming & running....lol

My husband has a helluva book coming out early this fall, and I'm excited beyond excited!! It's a gathering of some of the greatest forensic minds out there, and it's been a long time coming.

John Adams · 07-10-2006, 01:40 AM

I love to read and typically have 2 or 3 books going at a time. My wife also reads quite often and both my kids (4 and 6) are really into reading, we read every night. Unfortunately most parents don't read to their kids so it becomes something they have to do for school and of course school equals work which is no fun. It is so much easier to sit and stare at a screen or play video games then actually read.

Smoothmoniker - you make it sound like all books are crap. Have you read the top 100 books of all time yet (you can google it)? It's a very interesting list. It should take a while to read all of those even if you read four or more per year.

Shawnee123 · 07-10-2006, 07:39 AM

My mom said that when I was a kid, if there were nothing else around to read, I would read every word on the cereal box. So many of my educated colleagues don't read; have never read classics; don't bother with any of it. I think it's sad what passes for education.

My summer reads so far this year:
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lucky by Alice Sebold (I love her writing style)
The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen
And, re-reading Jane Eyre, again!

Shawnee123 · 07-10-2006, 07:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Adams

Smoothmoniker - you make it sound like all books are crap. Have you read the top 100 books of all time yet (you can google it)? It's a very interesting list. It should take a while to read all of those even if you read four or more per year.

Thanks for the tip. I'm going to work on reading the many that I have not. I was pleased to see The Corrections by Jonathan Franzen on the list. An email pen pal recommended that one to me and I loved it!

Undertoad · 07-10-2006, 07:52 AM

I have a wall full of books, but the web has left my attention span at too low a setting to read/use them.

Online, I now read much more than I have ever done in my lifetime, and that includes when I was 8 and would stay awake at night and read with a flashlight under the covers.

I won't read opinion offline at all; there is so much better available on. Whenever I read hard copy opinion, I keep reaching for the reply button that doesn't exist and it pisses me off.

07-09-2006, 05:17 PM	#5
smoothmoniker to live and die in LA Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 2,090	Explain to me why this is a bad thing. If you look at the quality of most of those books being published, I don't know that we would be better off for having read them. If I decide to watch something on the History Channel or PBS instead of reading a trash fiction novel, isn't that a better choice? Why is the printed word more sacred than then spoken or visual word? __________________ to live and die in LA

07-09-2006, 05:27 PM	#6
Griff still says videotape Join Date: Feb 2001 Posts: 26,813	With your examples, sure. In general, though, books require more interaction than tv, more mental exercise. Of course, many of the folks watching History Channel are the same ones reading real books. I can't have cable in my house, since I'm raising children, so its books for me. __________________ If you would only recognize that life is hard, things would be so much easier for you. - Louis D. Brandeis

07-09-2006, 09:11 PM	#9
wolf lobber of scimitars Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Phila Burbs Posts: 20,774	I would be the one person who still is reading. Given the amount of other stuff I do, my average number of books completed per month is down, but I'm still reading. __________________ wolf eht htiw og "Conspiracies are the norm, not the exception." --G. Edward Griffin The Creature from Jekyll Island High Priestess of the Church of the Whale Penis

07-10-2006, 12:12 AM	#10
farfromhome Management Consultant Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Portland,OR/Conesus,NY Posts: 166	Great catch Patrick! I think those survey numbers may be a little inflated. Still... __________________ When you ain't got nothing-you ain't got nothing to lose.

07-10-2006, 07:39 AM	#13
Shawnee123 Why, you're a regular Alfred E Einstein, ain't ya? Join Date: Jun 2006 Posts: 21,206	My mom said that when I was a kid, if there were nothing else around to read, I would read every word on the cereal box. So many of my educated colleagues don't read; have never read classics; don't bother with any of it. I think it's sad what passes for education. My summer reads so far this year: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Lucky by Alice Sebold (I love her writing style) The Ninth Life of Louis Drax by Liz Jensen And, re-reading Jane Eyre, again! __________________ A word to the wise ain't necessary - it's the stupid ones who need the advice. --Bill Cosby

07-09-2006, 04:18 PM	#3
velocityboy Drawn Druid Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Issaquah, WA Posts: 32	Yeah it's pretty sad. Nobody at work talks about books, just about movies and TV. (I'm guilty of that too, even tho I do read a lot.) My partner and I have quite a large library, split into rough thirds by fiction, general non-fiction, and my geek books (computer, math, graphics, etc.) We've actually had a hard time finding decent bookshelves. Nobody seems to sell them anymore.

07-09-2006, 05:11 PM	#4
Katkeeper Hoodoo Guru Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Mechanicsburg PA Posts: 296	I love books and still read them. I also prefer reading the newspaper in paper form rather than on a computer screen. I am currently reading "Rats" by Michael Sullivan who researched the subject of rats particularly in New York City, and wrote abouat them. Interesting stuff.

07-10-2006, 12:31 AM	#11
seakdivers Icy Queen Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Southeast Alaska Posts: 700	I love to read. I've had down times where I didn't have the time to read the back of a box of brownies.... hence all of the screaming & running....lol My husband has a helluva book coming out early this fall, and I'm excited beyond excited!! It's a gathering of some of the greatest forensic minds out there, and it's been a long time coming.

07-10-2006, 01:40 AM	#12
John Adams Founder of Freedom Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 58	I love to read and typically have 2 or 3 books going at a time. My wife also reads quite often and both my kids (4 and 6) are really into reading, we read every night. Unfortunately most parents don't read to their kids so it becomes something they have to do for school and of course school equals work which is no fun. It is so much easier to sit and stare at a screen or play video games then actually read. Smoothmoniker - you make it sound like all books are crap. Have you read the top 100 books of all time yet (you can google it)? It's a very interesting list. It should take a while to read all of those even if you read four or more per year.

07-10-2006, 07:52 AM	#15
Undertoad Radical Centrist Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Cottage of Prussia Posts: 31,423	I have a wall full of books, but the web has left my attention span at too low a setting to read/use them. Online, I now read much more than I have ever done in my lifetime, and that includes when I was 8 and would stay awake at night and read with a flashlight under the covers. I won't read opinion offline at all; there is so much better available on. Whenever I read hard copy opinion, I keep reaching for the reply button that doesn't exist and it pisses me off.

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