Jeff Gomez has written an entire (gasp) book, Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age, suggesting that books have become “mere props in our lives, inert commodities on the same level as the clothes we wear or the paintings we hang on our wall…”

His book and this concept have recently stirred up the blogosphere pots, including his own, Print is Dead where his recent post has invited some interesting conversation on this issue. In his post, he addresses the topic “would you date someone with no books on their shelves?” And here the unraveling begins. Gomez argues that Facebook and Myspace pages are the new “bookshelf or nightstand into and onto which we all peek.” Those who argued back, online, not reading a book but a blog, fought for the bathtub and storm related power outages, shut-ins with sports related injuries, booksellers and librarians.

But the truth is, more and more literature is being digitally shelved. There are numerous internet libraries, free e-book websites, and sites such as Bookshare, where patrons can download a book right to their phone if they wish. Just today I searched my two most reliable libraries for Stephen Miller’s book, Conversation: A History of a Declining Art , only to find it available as an electronic book and not on the shelves.

There is one aspect about books that is not dead; however, and that is here at Dust Jacket Review, where books, whether in print or on the screen, are still part of our conversation.

Print is Dead:Books in Our Digital Age , by Jeff Gomez