What is the future of the book?

This post from if:book fits well with the last class discussion about the future of the book. Basically, the post discusses the trend toward publishing sections of books rather than whole books. The idea is similar to purchasing mp3s instead of a whole album. I had no idea that Amazon already provides a by-the-page or by-the-chapter option. This ability to purchase only the selections you want will probably be very popular. Just look at the popularity of mp3s and the increasing subscription to RSS feeds. Bloglines–as well as other feed readers– has completely revolutionized the way I read on the internet. I think the ability to purchase sections of books could be very useful. Many times when I am working on a paper, I will find a book that has one really great chapter. Yet, the rest of the book is of no use. Purchasing pages or chapters of books would also be especially useful for collections of short stories, poetry, or essays. This new way of reading and purchasing books does not signal the inevitable death of “the book.” There are many works which function best as a complete whole, and people will still continue to novels and other complete texts. Rather, the page or chapter selections provide the reader with more options and flexibility. The emergence of the mp3 did not stop consumers from purchasing albums, just as the emergence of by-the-page or by-the-chapter options will not stop readers from purchasing books.