The philosophical works of Plato, the scientific revelations of Newton and Einstein and the political theories of Marx, to name but a few departed but influential sculptors of the world we understand today, would probably be lost were it not for the humble book. Also the poetry of Chaucer, the plays of Shakespeare and the novels of Hardy and Eliot, works which paint the timeless themes of life, all use the empty page as their canvas. Works that can entertain and inspire every bit as well as they did when first committed to the immortality of paper can still be savoured today. Just as galleries display paintings capturing moments in society's past, so books contain glimpses of our imagination and soul. The exchange of ideas from the past in return for the cultivation of fresh thought in the present is vital and achieved through the book.
Books build bridges.
Some stretch from past into present, allowing us a communication with experience impossible in our lifetime. Others span into the mists of future, as we all have the opportunity to create for what is yet to come. It may be argued that whatever the merits of the book it is now being taken over by new media which excel in the role of social communication. It seems convincing. The new generation are floating away from books to be wowed by the stunning visual effects of the cinema, or absorbed by the constantly expanding world behind our computer screens.