{"product_id":"reading-matters-a-history-for-the-digital-age-9781479840731","title":"Reading Matters: A History for the Digital Age","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTraces earlier revolutions in the history of reading to orient our shift to the digital age\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eConsidered one of the greatest inventions of human civilization, writing has served as a pathway to culture and education through history. The digital revolution has ushered in a dramatic transformation, leading to growing concern over the effects and possible detriments of algorithms, information overload, and fake news. In \u003ci\u003eReading Matters, \u003c\/i\u003e Joel Halldorf makes the case that in order to navigate the upheavals of the digital age, we must understand prior technical revolutions and the transformations they engendered. He shows how our ways of reading are inseparable from the media we use, and that the decline of deep, attentive reading may be the most serious consequence of our move from page to screen. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOriginally published in Swedish in 2023, this newly revised volume presents a sweeping history of transformations in reading and writing, tracing precedents in the invention of writing, the shift from clay tablets to papyrus and from scrolls to codices, the advent of printing, and the development of industrial printing. It explores how each new format of writing has encouraged new ways to think, relate, and organize the world. Essentially, it is not only what we read that is important, but how we read. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMoving through key historical events including the rise of Christianity, the scientific revolution, and the development of democracy, Halldorf explores how changes in the physical book reflected major cultural and historical shifts of the time. By tracing how new media forms have impacted human attention, authority, and community, the volume equips readers to better understand our own digital habits today. Detailing the riveting cultural history of reading technologies, book revolutions, and cultural upheavals, \u003ci\u003e Reading Matters\u003c\/i\u003e showcases the massive power of reading, writing, and books in helping us understand who we are.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joel Halldorf\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e New York University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/09\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 312\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 6.00w x 1.30d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781479840731\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/13\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 03\/01\/2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 04\/01\/2026 pg. 72\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eJoel Halldorf \u003c\/b\u003eis Professor of Church History and a public intellectual in Scandinavia, with regular contributions to leading newspapers and cultural journals in Sweden and Norway. He has authored numerous works on religion and society, including \u003ci\u003ePentecostal Politics in a Secular World\u003c\/i\u003e, and has received several awards for his writing.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"booksdeli.com","offers":[{"title":"Joel Halldorf \/ Hardcover \/ English","offer_id":48449340407965,"sku":"9781479840731","price":59.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0619\/5648\/9373\/files\/img_67ea3da4-ff8e-4123-b4eb-8fdd4e76ab4b.jpg?v=1781632387","url":"https:\/\/booksdeli.com\/products\/reading-matters-a-history-for-the-digital-age-9781479840731","provider":"booksdeli.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}