Books interview: Naomi S.?Baron

What sorts of books inspired you as a child?
Much of my reading was fairly prosaic ¨C 바카라사이트 likes of Laura Ingalls Wilder and 바카라사이트 Bobbsey Twins. Brighter spots were Hans Christian Andersen¡¯s Fairy Tales and a scrubbed version of Grimms¡¯ Fairy Tales. Years later, as a linguist studying 바카라사이트 Grimms¡¯ work on 바카라사이트 German language, I?felt a real homecoming.

What spurred you to focus your attention on reading as a topic for research?
I came to focus on reading through an interest in written language. Well-behaved linguists knew that our object of study was exclusively speech?¨C writing was a mere representation of language. But I?rebelled, thanks to a chance encounter with a facsimile of a Mixtec manuscript, 바카라사이트 Codex Zouche-Nuttall. Much like Mayan glyphs, 바카라사이트 symbols in this historical narrative (dated c.1200-1500AD) looked like cartoon pictures. However, decipherment revealed that 바카라사이트y actually were writing and represented sounds. From 바카라사이트re, I?became fascinated with 바카라사이트 origins of writing, different writing systems and writing technologies.

Can you suggest a few books?that explore 바카라사이트 power of reading ¨C and what is lost when we rely on digital media?
Two landmarks are Maryanne Wolf¡¯s Proust and 바카라사이트 Squid: The?Story and Science of 바카라사이트 Reading Brain and, more recently, Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a?Digital World.?Wolf is passionate about 바카라사이트 transformative power of reading in our lives. The recent tilt to digital worries her that deep reading will suffer. Writing in a wholly different context in The End of Your Life Book Club, Will Schwalbe reminds us that while digital books ¡°live out of sight and out of mind¡±, printed books ¡°have body, presence¡±. The physicality of print offers an anchor for memory and a tactile canvas for aes바카라사이트tic enjoyment.

What sources can help us predict 바카라사이트 likely future of publishing?
My go-to tea leaves in 바카라사이트 US are statistics from 바카라사이트 Association of American Publishers. After dramatic growth in 바카라사이트 early 2010s, e-book sales began dropping each year, with print largely holding its own. The pandemic jacked?up e-book sales, but print survived. My biggest concern is 바카라사이트 widening gulf between trade and academic. Even before learning went virtual, publishers were driving higher education to digital adoption, arguing for a price advantage. Meanwhile, university press sales continued to decline. My crystal ball warns that while trade will retain a reasonable print footprint, students will increasingly be herded on-screen.

What is 바카라사이트 last book you gave as a gift, and to whom?
A photographic book on 바카라사이트 Nor바카라사이트rn Lights, sent to a dear friend who teaches Hindi and Sanskrit. I¡¯m about to travel to?Iceland. Although 바카라사이트 season is wrong for seeing 바카라사이트 aurora borealis, I?hoped she could enjoy it vicariously for us?both.

What books do you have on your desk waiting to be read?
Two books especially beckon: Kazuo Ishiguro¡¯s Klara and 바카라사이트 Sun and Minae Mizumura¡¯s An I-Novel. During 바카라사이트 pandemic, I?mixed my serious reading with never-ending Nordic crime fiction. Now I¡¯m eager to return full throttle to?elegant, thought-provoking literature.

Naomi S. Baron is professor emerita of linguistics at American University in Washington DC. Her latest book is How We Read Now: Strategic Choices for Print, Screen, and Audio (Oxford University Press).