Downs Matthews, for example, has put together an impressive home library over the years. He visits used bookstores during his travels, picking up books on the Inuit when in the North, on the Everglades when in Florida. Teach Thyself Publishers have tapped into the widespread interest in self-education. They continue to print how-to books for a motivated public, who acquire titles on everything from growing herbs to creating a Web page and choosing a good wine. Books on tape feed into this market as well, with a growing number of commuters squeezing in a little learning time during the daily drive.
Choices range from the latest fiction to literary classics and how tos.
Richard Feynman's lectures on physics are now on tape. So are courses on speaking Japanese. In the bubble of your own car you can practice that troubling phrase over and over. Videotapes and CD-ROMs have also entered the fray. You can pop one in to pick up a little sign language, take a quick course in world history, or learn how to become a highly paid voice-over artist.