In both Michelle Levy and Tom Mole’s “Introduction” to The Broadview Introduction to Book History and Professor Pressman’s “Old/New Media,” the history and evolution of the book are examined to understand the ever-changing production and consumption of books. The Broadview Introduction does this by exploring and establishing “four epochs in the history of the book” (xv) and defining “intensive” and “extensive” reading.” Dr. Pressman similarly explores this subject by considering the impact of “new media” on “old media.” By doing so, both excerpts made me consider how interactions with physical media, specifically books, have evolved and been forced to change with digital media growing alongside them. 

Levy and Mole open up an interesting conversation in Book History’s Introduction about the act of reading and its relation to materiality. They write, “the history of reading can be told as a transition from intensive and extensive reading,” and that “by the end of the eighteenth century, the sense of information overload…became a generalized concern” (xviii). This sentiment, discussed in the Introduction, remains relevant today when pertaining to the internet as a source for literature. It is undeniable that the internet holds a plethora of information that is easily accessible, and because of this ease of access, it is valid to be concerned that society as a whole is losing its ability to read intensively, as we are not forced to sit and bear with a book and can simply search for another online article or book. But, as Levy and Mole mention, this concern of an information overload being the downfall of knowledge when information becomes more easily accessible and available, has plagued us for a couple of centuries now. Levy and Mole reassure us that the extensive reading style associated with abundant information is “a positive set of skills that we use to negotiate information overload” (xix) and that “different reading practices tell us that people read in different ways for different reasons, and that they have always done so” (xix). 

Though I think Levy and Mole’s diffusion of the fear of reading and books becoming a dying practice is effective, and their explanation of how people use intensive and extensive reading for different purposes is true, considering that this was written pre-COVID pandemic, interactions with the internet and people have changed. There has been a significant shift to reliance on the internet and new technologies that don’t require human interaction or encourage deep thinking. I do believe that people have always feared new technologies, whether it be books or computers, but it can be hard to ignore the paranoia of rising anti-intellectualism when you’re living through a time of change.