A gravestone marks the death of the printed book
At Hay on Wye, where a famous literary festival takes place every year, booksellers have declared war on the Amazon Kindle, blaming it for the decline in their profession.
Mr Addyman, 57, told the Daily Mail: ‘Kindles have no place at this festival which is supposed to be a celebration of the written word – and books.
‘Booksellers here definitely want them banned. You see people walking around with Kindles and they are like robots in another world.
‘Books are sociable and people stop and talk to each other about them. Kindles are just a phase and they won’t last. They are our enemy.’ The father of two has been selling books for 25 years with his wife Anne, 49.
They obviously have not learned the lesson from the “Luddite” weavers who wanted to break up mechanised looms because it would put them out of a job.
I agree that Kindles are problem for booksellers but a huge step forward for readers and should be celebrated as a way of encouraging reading a wide diversity of literature at an affordable price and good for the environment. Printed books have had their day and the Hay folks should focus on the literature rather than on the books. Its what’s written down that counts, not how it is transmitted to the consumer.