Between the doomsayers, like Champendal and Finkielkraut, who believe that print books are bound to be swept away by digital ones; and the optimists, like Darnton, for whom  a new  technology doesn’t necessarily steal its predecessors’ crown, who should we believe? The point of this little essay is to try to go further than the prognostics and prophecies that generate so much hot air. The idea is to question the fundamental determinants that can weaken or strengthen the desire for books in the shape that they have manifested themselves for over five centuries. In what way are print-on-paper books indispensable, or, on the contrary, why could we do without their presence? Will digital books eventually replace them for good?

As Jerôme Lindon used to say, Books aren’t like other consumer goods. They stand out because of the peculiar affects and fantasies they secrete. In the history of the world, particularly the world of economics, material elements have always trumped ones based on affection. The question is to understand if that will soon be confirmed with books, and whether our hearts or minds will win out.