Do Books Have a Future?

It is a pity that John Sutherland's perceptive analysis of the impact that changes in book retailing methods have had on bookshops isn't available as part of the free content on the London Review of Books website (see the current print edition). It is an issue with serious consequences for everybody concerned with the future of a literary culture.

Mentioning the LRB - there was another great diary piece in the previous issue: Rose George's "Travels in the Sewers". Like Sutherland's article it is only available online to subscribers - which is I suppose a good argument for taking out a subscription, or persuading your local library to stock the LRB.
www.lrb.co.uk