As if we weren't already attention span deprived enough, FT Press is coming out with butchered versions of already published books, what the New York Times is calling "snack size," for e-readers. My husband, Steve, calls them the Twitter version.
Can we really truly experience books in one to two thousand words? I think not. What we get is a sorry excuse for literature, be it fiction or non-fiction. While the titles I've seen so far are on the business/self-help side (and goodness knows those tend to be verbose, anyway), if the current titles succeed, I can't imagine what will come next. They might as well attempt to take over Cliffs Notes.
Read the whole article at the NYT.
As for myself, I'm very tempted to curl up with a novel and some hot cocoa on this cold, snowy day. Maybe after a bit of homework...
When I was young I loved reading the "classics abridged" and sadly, there are many of those classics that I still can't make it through. I'd love to read an abridged version, especially on a flight where I can't concentrate well.
ReplyDeleteI'm destroying books, libraries, and the world with my preferences. :*(
Abridged is different than cut down to twenty pages. You are not destroying anything, Colleen!
ReplyDelete